20 examples of Alex Morgan's competitive drive that has made her a soccer icon

• USWNT star Alex Morgan is one of the most beloved players to ever suit up for the red, white, and blue.
• She's also one of the most ruthless. The prolific striker has a "scary" competitive streak, according to her father.
• As a child, she would play Monopoly against herself so she could beat her older sisters, write down her workouts while watching TV, and almost break her dad's hand while shooting on goal in their yard.
• Her husband refuses to play board games with her and says she had already worked out by 7 a.m. on the first morning of their honeymoon.
• Check out 20 examples of the extreme competitiveness that has made Morgan one of the most accomplished stars in USWNT history: 
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Alex Morgan has been ridiculously competitive since she was a kid — to the point that her father, Mike, has gone on the record describing her ruthless mentality as "scary."

Source: Orlando Magazine

The youngest of three girls, Morgan grew tired of losing board games to her older sisters as a child. "She would sit in her room for hours and play Monopoly to try to beat herself," her sister, Jenny, said. "She's always been like that."

Source: Glamour

Morgan once described herself as "the most competitive kid ever" and said she played up on her 13-year-old sister's softball team when she was just seven years old.

Source: US Soccer

But in organized sports or otherwise, Morgan always had to win. "I was so keen on beating the boys in everything," she told Men in Blazers. "Whenever we had a race or played kickball, I had to be number one. It didn't matter who I was playing against."

Source: US Soccer

She always took training seriously, too. "She would have a notepad and be counting all of her crunches while watching TV," Jenny said. "She would be doing squats, lunges — I mean, at nine years old!"

Source: Glamour

Her dad used to play goalie for her out in their yard, but once she turned 14 or 15, he couldn't be in goal anymore because Morgan's shots got too hard. "Eventually, I think that I almost broke his hand, and he had to step out," she said.

Source: US Soccer

The Morgan family had a system in place that rewarded the three girls for their accomplishments in school, on the field, and more with points that they could cash in for their first car. The eldest two girls wound up with a Mercury sedan and Chevy truck. Alex got a new, silver Lexus IS 350.

Source: Orlando Magazine

Morgan can't even picture herself doing anything with her life that doesn't involve competition: "If I wasn't a soccer player, I would be... a volleyball player. If not that, a softball player. I'm too competitive not to play a sport!" she said in her Cal player bio.

Source: Cal Bears

One of her Cal teammates agreed: "She's the most competitive person I've ever seen," Megan Jesolva told SI. "You can't play board games with her. She goes crazy if her team's not winning. On one hand, it's funny, but on the other hand, you say, 'Wow, you're taking this a lot more seriously than the rest of us."

Source: Sports Illustrated

Her husband, fellow professional soccer player Servando Carrasco, noticed the same thing. "It can be absurd at times. Card games like gin rummy can turn into a fight... I mean, it's always fun, but afterward, there can be that awkward silence for two or three hours."

Source: Orlando Magazine

Carrasco said, "she's all or nothing in every aspect of her life." When they both played soccer at UC Berkeley, Morgan recovered from an ACL injury in six months, "which, if you know anything about sports, that's pretty crazy," he told Glamour.

Source: Glamour

During the couple's two-day honeymoon, Morgan refused to take any breaks. "That first morning, I woke up at 7 a.m., and Alex had already gone running, did a hard workout, and now she was doing squats and pushups in our room," Carrasco said. "I looked at her and thought, 'Well, I better get my ass out of bed.'"

Source: Orlando Magazine

"She works so damn hard," Carrasco added. "It's not so much that she has skills and ability, it's her commitment. She has such a desire to be the best. It's that desire that sets her apart."

Source: Orlando Magazine

Former USWNT head coach Jill Ellis — who has managed her fair share of competitive personalities in her career — said Morgan is "one of the most competitive people I've met. It's part of her psychological makeup ... She's always pushing herself, and she doesn't let anything sidetrack her."

Source: Oregon Live

No move further encapsulates the striker's competitive spirit than her tea-sipping celebration after she scored against England during the 2019 World Cup.

Alex Morgan pretended to sip tea after a goal against England in the World Cup, and then fans sang 'Happy Birthday' to her

Before the Tokyo Olympics were postponed, Morgan was adamant that she would be ready to hit the field and compete for the USWNT just three months after giving birth.

Source: USA Today

In order to get there, she worked out as usual throughout her pregnancy.

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Alex Morgan completed her regular, high-intensity workout schedule 6 days per week through most of her pregnancy

And, at seven months pregnant, she was still ripping shots on goal.

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Alex Morgan is still training and ripping shots while 7 months pregnant, and it may point to her readiness for the upcoming Olympics

Even when she's training alone, Morgan says she uses her teammates for motivation: "When I think of my teammates training hard on their own—whether it's going out and shooting or finding people to play with—it's my job to do more than them. I'm always hoping that I'm doing more. It's motivation."

Source: Men's Health

She's not even giving herself a break when it comes to labor, as she plans to have a natural birth: "I should be able to give birth without numbing my body ... I feel like if I don't experience that, then I'll never really know what I can do, what I'm capable of."

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Source: Glamour

Now check out the details of Morgan's deal maternity protections on her latest Nike deal:

Alex Morgan's latest deal with Nike features groundbreaking maternity protections, including guaranteed pay for 18 months