Megan Rapinoe has thanked American football player Colin Kaepernick during an acceptance speech at the Glamour awards where she was named one of the Women of the Year.

Rapinoe was honoured with the title which has previously been held by Caitlyn Jenner, Victoria Beckham and Kylie Minogue.

And she took to the stage to pay homage to Kaepernick, who took a knee during an NFL game in protest of police brutality and racism against African Americans in the US.

Rapinoe said: "I feel like I have to take this opportunity to thank the person, for whom I don't feel like I would be here without. 

"Someone who's courage and bravery was so bright and so bold. A person filled with conviction, unafraid of the consequences because he knew, it really wasn't about playing it safe: It was about doing what is necessary and backing down to exactly nobody.

"Colin Kaepernick is still effectively banned from the NFL, for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of known and systematic police brutality against people of color, known and systematic racial injustice, and known and systematic white supremacy. 

"It would be a slap in the face to Colin, and to so many other faces not to acknowledge, and for me personally, to work relentlessly to dismantle that system that benefits some over the detriment of others, and frankly is quite literally tearing us apart in this country.

The US team filed a lawsuit against US Soccer earlier this year in a bid to achieve equal pay.

"While we all have injustices we are facing—for me personally, a very public fight with our [US Soccer] Federation over why we don't deserve to be paid equally.

"Some people even say we do our job better. I don't know! It's crazy!—I still know in my heart of hearts and my bones that I can do more. And that we can do more. And I know that because we just have to. We must. It's imperative that we do more."

Some of Rapinoe's US teammates attended the ceremony to support their captain including Ali Krieger, who introduced Rapinoe to the stage.

Other women that were honoured at the ceremony were actress Charlize Theron, climate activist Greta Thunberg, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, actress Yara Shahidi, writer Margaret Atwood, fashion designer Tory Burch and the women of the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.