SAM Kerr is captain of the Australian Women’s Football team and is playing her fourth world cup in 2023.
She’s had some ups and downs in her career. Here’s what we know about her career.
Sam plays for Chelsea and Australia
Who is Sam Kerr?
Sam was born in East Fremantale, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
Her parents are Roxanne and Roger Kerr.
Sam comes from a sporty family with her father being a professional Australian rules football player.
As of August 2023, she is in a relationship with her girlfriend, American soccer player Kristie Mews.
Sam played Australian rules football when she was a child.
She switched to association football when she was 12, mostly due to gender restrictions.
Sam faced some struggles during the transition but was spotted by Perth Glory striker Bobby Despotovski.
He described her athleticism and raw talent as “exceptional”.
In 2009, at the age of 15, Sam debuted with the Matildas as a substitute in a match against Italy.
A year later she played in her first major tournament, the Asian Cup, in China.
She helped the team secure their first-ever title by scoring the opening goal in the team’s victory against North Korea during the final.
She played in her first Women’s World Cup in 2011 at the age of 17 after she played in two matches for Australia.
Despite a series of injuries, Sam splayed in all five matches that the Matilda’s played in for the 2015 World Cup.
She also played for the team during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Sam helped the team advance to the quarterfinals before they were eliminated by Brazil.
In 2018, Sam was also a driving force for the team during their run to the Asian Cup final but they lost the title match to Japan.
Sam was chosen as Australia’s captain ahead of the Women’s World Cup in 2019.
During the tournament she scored her first World Cup goal but also all four of Australia’s goals in a victory against Jamaica.
She was one goal short of the Women’s World Cup individual single-game scoring record which is shared by Michelle Akers and Alex Morgan.
The team then progressed into the round of 16 but were ultimately eliminated by Norway during penalty kicks.
Sam, however, maintained her scoring streak by securing six of the 11 goals scored by the Australian team at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Australia were later eliminated by the United States in the bronze medal match.
Sam was recovering from a calf injury she sustained earlier in 2023 but despite this played for 65 minutes in a world cup match against France.
She scored a penalty despite her set back sending Australia to the semi-finals against England.
Kerr holds the all-time record for the most goals scored for the Matildas.
Sam is top Australian scorer of all time having scored 63 international goals.
What is Sam Kerr’s salary?
It’s reported Sam earns a hefty £417,000 annually.
Sam is reportedly the highest paid player in women’s football.
She is also considered to be one of the best strikers in the world and in 2022 was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest paid male footballer earns £173 million per year, over £172 million more than Sam.
Who has Sam Kerr played for?
Sam currently plays for Chelsea FC and Australia women’s national football team.
She has previously played for Perth Glory and Chicago Red Stars.
Sam debuted for Chelsea FC on January 5 2020 against Reading.
Is Sam Kerr on Instagram?
Sam Kerr is on Instagram and can be found at @samanthakerr20.
As of August 2023 she boasts 1.4 million followers.
She regularly posts photos of her life and football.