Sam Kerr

Samantha May Kerr (born 10 September 1993) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Chelsea in the FA Women's Super League and the Australia women's national soccer team (the Matildas), which she also captains. As of 2021, Kerr is the all-time leading scorer in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States and until the 2020–21 season, held the record in the Australian W-League (now A-League Women). She is the only female football player to have won the Golden Boot in three different leagues and three different continents – the W-League (Asia) in 2017–18 and 2018–19, the NWSL (North America) in 2017, 2018, 2019 and the FAWSL (Europe) in 2020–21.

Kerr started her career at the age of 15 with Perth Glory where she played from 2008 to 2012, before transferring to Sydney FC. In 2013, she joined the Western New York Flash for the inaugural season of the NWSL and helped lead the team to win the NWSL Shield. She later played for Sky Blue FC and the Chicago Red Stars in the same league. In 2019, Kerr indicated her interest to play in Europe, and having fielded multiple offers from clubs such as Olympique Lyonnais, Kerr ultimately signed with Chelsea, winning back-to-back Women's Super League titles in her first two seasons with the club, as well as helping the team reach the UEFA Women's Champion's League final for the first time in 2021.

Kerr earned her first senior international cap in 2009 at the age of 15 and has since represented Australia at the 2010, 2014, and 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup tournaments, the 2011, 2015, and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups, and the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2019, she became the first Australian player — male or female — to score a hat trick at a World Cup tournament.

Kerr was awarded the 2017 and 2018 Julie Dolan Medal as the best player in Australia and is a four-time recipient of the PFA's Women's Footballer of the Year Award, awarded it in 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019. She was named International Player of the Year by the Football Media Association in 2013 and 2014, and was also named the 2018 Young Australian of the Year. Also in 2018, she received the ESPY Award for Best International Women's Soccer Player. The following year, she received the ESPY Award for Best International Women's Soccer Player and Best NWSL Soccer Player. She is the first and only Australian women's footballer to be named to the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or, having been nominated in all editions of the award from 2018–2021, ranking 5th, 7th and 3rd, respectively. She has also been shortlisted for The Best FIFA Women's Player from 2017 to 2021, ranking 10th, 9th, 11th and 7th, respectively. Kerr has also been nominated for the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year award from 2018–2021 and has been named to the Top 10 of The Guardian's The 100 Best Female Footballers In The World from 2017–2021, ranking 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 6th and 3rd, respectively.

Kerr is known for her "speed, skill, tenacity," and backflip goal celebrations, and is widely considered one of the best female footballers, and strikers, in the world

Early life

Kerr was born in East Fremantle, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia on Australia's west coast. Her mother, Roxanne, comes from an athletic family: her father and uncles were professional footballers in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and another uncle J. J. Miller was a champion jockey who won the Melbourne Cup in 1966 with Galilee.Sam's father, Roger Kerr, was born in Calcutta to an English father (a featherweight boxer) and an Indian mother who played basketball.

Kerr played Australian rules football as a young child. Both her father and older brother, Daniel Kerr, were professional Australian rules footballers.She played the sport until switching to soccer at the age of 12 due in large part to gender restrictions.

Despite facing some struggles transitioning from Australian rules football to soccer, at age 13, she was spotted by Perth Glory striker Bobby Despotovski who described her athleticism and raw talent as "exceptional". At age 15, she made her W-League and international debuts.

Club career

Western Knights, 2006–2008

Kerr first started playing soccer as a junior at Western Knights in Mosman Park. After three years at the Western Knights, she trialled for the Western Australian State Team before moving to Perth Glory.

Perth Glory, 2008–2011

 

Kerr made her debut for Perth Glory at the age of 15 during the 2009 W-League season. She was voted Players' Player at the 2009 W-League Awards and awarded Goal of the Year for her long–range goal against Sydney FC in round 8. During the 2010–11 season, Kerr started in all 10 matches and scored three goals. She scored a brace in the first half of a match against Adelaide United on 14 January 2011 lifting Perth to a 2–1 victory.

Western New York Flash, 2013–2014

In 2013, Kerr signed with the Western New York Flash. She made 19 starts in her 21 appearances for the club and scored six goals. After defeating Sky Blue FC 2–0 in the semi-finals, the Flash lost 2–0 to Portland in the final.

Kerr returned to the Flash for the 2014 season. Head coach Aaran Lines said of Kerr, "With her attributes – her speed, athleticism and instincts – if she continues to develop at the rate she is, Sam can become one of the best strikers in the world." Kerr started in all 20 matches and was the team's leading scorer with 9 goals. She was named NWSL Player of the Week for week 9 after recording a brace and assist against Portland. Following the 2014 season, Kerr was traded to Sky Blue FC in exchange for Elizabeth Eddy and a first-round pick—fourth overall—in the 2015 NWSL College Draft. The Flash used that pick to draft Sam Mewis.

Return to Perth Glory, 2014–2019

In August 2014, Kerr returned to Perth Glory on a one-year deal as one of six national members to sign for Perth.She would open her account in Perth's second match against Adelaide United to give Perth the lead in the second half which they would win. The following match she scored a double in her team's 10–1 rout of Western Sydney Wanderers. After missing out in the next four games, Kerr would go and score eight goals in the final four games of the regular season which included a hat-trick against her former team in Sydney FC.

She continued her regular season form in the following season when she scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Melbourne Victory in the opening round of the competition. That would be the only goal that she would score in the season with her leg giving way in a non-contact ankle injury which forced her out for the rest of the season. This wouldn't stop Perth from giving her a one-year contract extension before the start of that season.In the 2016–17 W-League season she scored ten goals, led the team to the Grand Final, and earned the Julie Dolan Medal and the Penny Tanner Media MVP Award. In October 2018, she became the first marquee player of the W-League when she was reportedly offered 400,000 dollars contract to stay in Perth instead of going overseas where she was offered 100,000 less. The marquee signing delivered in the 2018–19 W-League season, when she finished top of the goal scoring charts with 17 goals at above a goal a game. This included a hat-trick in the semi-final against Melbourne Victory which booked Perth's spot into the grand final.

Sky Blue FC, 2015–2017

In 2015, Kerr joined Matildas teammate Caitlin Foord at Sky Blue FC following their participation at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.Kerr's six goals in her nine appearances ranked first on the team

During the 2016 season, Kerr made nine appearances for Sky Blue after being away with the national team in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics. She scored five goals during the regular season^. Kerr was named NWSL Player of the week for Week 18 after scoring two goals: an 80th-minute equaliser against the Orlando Pride and a game-winning goal against the Pride a few days later.

In the 2017 season, Kerr set a new NWSL record when she scored 4 goals in a single game after being down 3–0 to Seattle Reign at halftime. Sky Blue eventually won the match 5–4. At the age of 23, Kerr sat atop the all-time NWSL goalscoring table. Kerr won the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP award after finishing the 2017 season with a record-breaking 17 goals.

Chicago Red Stars, 2018–2019

 

On 18 January 2018, Kerr was traded to the Chicago Red Stars along with Nikki Stanton by the Sky Blue FC in a three-team trade with the Chicago Red Stars and Houston Dash. She got off to a slow start in the 2018 season, not scoring until the eighth match of the season when she contributed to a 1–1 draw against North Carolina Courage.In August, she was named as NWSL Player of the Month for the third time in her career as she scored five goals throughout the month of August which included two goals against Portland Thorns FC and Orlando Pride.At the end of the 2018 season, Kerr scored 16 goals and won the Golden Boot for the second consecutive season and got into the NWSL Best XI as a forward.

At the end of the 2019 season, Kerr and the Chicago Red Stars made their first appearance in the NWSL Championship, losing 4–0 to North Carolina Courage. Several days prior to the championship game, Kerr was named the 2019 NWSL MVP, the first, and currently only, NWSL player to ever receive the award twice. Kerr also received, for the third year in a row, the NWSL Golden Boot, leading the league with 18 goals and five assists, despite missing some games over the summer to play with Australia in the World Cup. Kerr was also named Player of the Year by the National Women's Soccer League Players Association, who presented their own awards for the first time.

At the end of the 2019 season Kerr announced that she was considering moving to a European team and had multiple offers.

Chelsea, 2019–present

 

On 13 November 2019, Chelsea announced Kerr would be joining the club for the second half of the 2019–20 FA WSL season on a two-and-a-half year contract. Kerr made her Chelsea debut against Reading on 5 January 2020 and scored her first goal two weeks later against Arsenal. She won her first trophy with Chelsea in their 2–1 win over Arsenal in the 2019–20 Continental League Cup Final. Chelsea went on to win the 2019–20 league title despite a shortened schedule due to COVID-19, based on a points-per-match basis.

At the 2020 Women's FA Community Shield on 29 August 2020, Kerr created a series of goal scoring opportunities before being substituted in Chelsea's 2–0 win over Manchester City. She scored a hat-trick in the 6–0 win over Bristol City in Chelsea's defence of the Continental League Cup title, and lead goalscoring for Chelsea during the season, ultimately helping her win her second Women's Super League title during the 2020–21 FA WSL season. She scored 21 goals in 22 games, winning the Golden Boot, making her the first player to win it in three different leagues. That same season, Kerr helped Chelsea reach the finals of the Champion's League for the first time, before being defeated by Barcelona.

During the 2021–2022 WSL season, Kerr continued exhibiting fine form and was nominated for the Barclays Player of the Month for September. On 16 November 2021, Kerr signed a two year contract extension, keeping her at the club till summer of 2024, saying "I can't see myself going anywhere else in the world or leaving Europe, having what I have at Chelsea." The following week, Kerr scored the winning goal in Chelsea's Champion's League group stage match against Servette, and scored her third league hat-trick, against Birmingham City, within 26 minutes, as well as providing the assist for team-mate Fran Kirby's 100th Chelsea goal, with Kerr celebrating her achievement with her signature back-flip, the first time she performed it at Chelsea's homeground of Kingsmeadow. On 5 December, Kerr scored a brace in the delayed 2020–21 FA Cup final against Arsenal, winning Player of the Match, and helping her team lift the trophy and secure the domestic quadruple of the 2020–21 season, the first English women's club to achieve the feat.