Sam Kerr, the pioneering star of women’s football in Australia

A few minutes before the start of the friendly match between Australia and France, in Melbourne, on July 14, it was his name that received the loudest applause, by far. The Australian captain, Sam Kerr, has become the emblematic player of the Matildas selection. The first global star of modern Australian women’s football, the Chelsea player carries on her shoulders the hopes of an entire country which will experience the World Cup on her land, and begins her adventure, Thursday, July 20, against Ireland.

Sam Kerr is an icon for all of Australia, for his sporting exploits in the first place. At 29, the career of the native of Fremantle East (on the west coast of the country) speaks for her. After making her professional debut in club and selection at only 15 years old, she established herself in the United States, in New York, in New Jersey, in Chicago, then in England, in Chelsea, where she put down her suitcases in 2019. “She is recognized for her athletic qualities, what she does on the pitch and her success”explains Angela Christian-Wilkes, writer specializing in Australian women’s football.

First female face of the Fifa video game

For fifteen years, Sam Kerr has been winning titles (an American regular season title, an Australian championship, four English championships) and records (top Australian scorer in history). “I think she is the first big star marked and recognized in our modern age. It’s quite amazing to see her evolution and the way she has transformed football around her”, assures the journalist. A true generational talent, she was chosen, in 2022, by EA Sports to be the first player to appear on the world cover of the next Fifa video game (now EA Sports), notably alongside Kylian Mbappé.

But in his country, the aura of Sam Kerr goes beyond his discipline. For her compatriots, she is a cultural flag bearer and a marker of society’s identity. Many people identify with her. “She has a really good sense of humour, there’s a video here that has gone viral of her, during a Champions League game with Chelsea, nudging a spectator who came to invade the pitch and filming herself. Everyone was saying, ‘She’s definitely a girl from our country!’“

“Almost all Australians know his name, even if they don’t follow football. It’s definitely a name that speaks volumes.”

Angela Christian Wilkes

at franceinfo: sport

Symbol of her influence, in May 2023, Sam Kerr was chosen to carry the flag of the Australian delegation of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, at the coronation ceremony of Charles III, at Westminster Abbey. “It was huge to see an Australian footballer there.rejoices Angela Christian-Wilkes. Although there are sometimes bizarre feelings about the links with the British monarchy, this occasion has been celebrated enormously in Australia, in a very positive way.

The Matildas captain is now waiting to lead her group to the most beautiful trophy in Australian national football, for the first World Cup in history played (in part) in Oceania. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to play a World Cup at home.”she confided on the FIFA website. Her form and her explosiveness on the pitch will determine the results of the Australians. “She carries successes and failuressummarizes the journalist. She’s a fantastic player, almost able to win matches on her own when she’s in good shape. She’s got that kind of star power.”