Trinity Rodman Will ‘Never Forget’ the Advice Kobe Bryant Gave Her: ‘He Was an Amazing Human’ (Exclusive)

The 21-year-old soccer star first met the GOAT when she played on the same soccer team as Bryant's daughter Natalia

Trinity Rodman says meeting Kobe Bryant when she was a child “changed” the trajectory of her soccer career.

The 21-year-old player, who commanded the spotlight at the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team’s World Cup send-off match against Wales on Sunday, tells PEOPLE that the late basketball legend made an impact on her ever since she met him when she was about six years old and played on the same soccer team as his oldest daughter, Natalia.

“He would go to the games with my dad,” Rodman says about her father, retired Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman. “And my earliest memory that I'll never forget was him talking to me after the game telling me I was going to be a stud at the age of six, which is like, ‘Hello.’ He was right."

"He was an amazing human," Rodman continues. "And again, he made it very clear that women are capable of being as successful, if not more successful, than men. And I, for some reason, remembered that. But yeah, that changed my entire mindset moving forward with soccer.”

Related: Trinity Rodman Opens Up About Social Media Pressure and Being Compared to Her Father

The rising soccer star became the youngest USWNT player ever to “bag a brace” in Sunday’s game, and currently plays on the Washington Spirit.

As she continues to make waves in the sport, she shares that Bryant is her “GOAT,” and that his legacy continues to inspire her.

“I think his mentality was the difference in how he was as an athlete, but his mentality on and off the field as well as creating connections and being humble within,” she says. “I think he was very humble about the fact that he was a GOAT — and he'll always be a GOAT for me.”

Related: Trinity Rodman Dominates Late with 2 Goals in USWNT Send-Off Ahead of World Cup

Rodman will be joined by other outstanding players on the U.S. Women’s team at the FIFA World Cup, including another legend — Megan Rapinoe — who announced her retirement ahead of the Wales match.

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The team is now off to Australia and New Zealand to battle it out in the FIFA World Cup, which will be the first for Rodman and the last for Rapinoe.

As for the outcome, the younger athlete likes their chances.

“It's very unique, but this team is very good at showing that we're more than a soccer team and we want to push people to chase their dreams, no matter what it is,” she says.

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