Abby Wambach is retiring as one of international soccer's all-time great players. She announced Tuesday that she'll play her last international match on Dec. 16 in New Orleans.
The 35-year-old striker known for her headers is going out a champion. She was part of the U.S. national team that won the Women's World Cup earlier this year.
A look at some of her accomplishments:
MOST GOALS: Wambach has 184 career goals in international play, more than any other player, female or male. And 77 of those goals she scored with her head. She's played in 252 international matches.
She has the most multiple goal games of any national team player ever with 45, including five hat tricks, two four-goal games and a five-goal game — in a 5-0 a victory over Ireland in 2004.
FIRST INTERNATIONAL MATCH: Sept. 9, 2001, against Germany. Her first goal came in 2002 against Finland.
BEST GOAL: Perhaps her most famous goal came in the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup in Germany, when she scored the equalizer against Brazil in the 122nd minute. And yes, it was a header.
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BIG MATCHES: Wambach has played in four World Cups and two Olympics. She won gold medals at the 2004 and 2012 Olympics, but missed the 2008 Beijing Games with a broken leg.
She is the all-time U.S. scorer in both tournaments. She has 14 goals in 25 World Cup matches and nine goals in 10 overall Olympic matches.
ADMIRERS: Include even Kobe Bryant, who posted to Twitter: "Thank you @AbbyWambach for all that you are, have been and will be You are a true muse #oneofakind."
OTHER AWARDS: In addition to her FIFA award, she has been a U.S. Player of the Year six times. She won The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2011, becoming the first individual soccer player to win the honor.
FUN FACT FROM U.S. SOCCER: When she was 5, Wambach scored 27 goals in her first three games. So she was put on a boys' team.
