Sam Kerr

For the Scottish footballer, see Sam Kerr (Scottish footballer).

Sam Kerr
OAM
Kerr at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
Personal information
Full name Samantha May Kerr[1]
Date of birth (1993-09-10) 10 September 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth East Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 20
Youth career
2006–2008 Western Knights
WA NTC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Perth Glory 22 (5)
2012–2014 Sydney FC 24 (13)
2013–2014 Western New York Flash 41 (15)
2014–2019 Perth Glory 49 (52)
2015–2017 Sky Blue FC 40 (28)
2018–2019 Chicago Red Stars 43 (35)
2020– Chelsea 75 (58)
International career‡
2008–2009 Australia U17 12 (4)
2008–2009 Australia U20 12 (4)
2009– Australia 128 (69)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 December 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 November 2023

Samantha May Kerr OAM (born 10 September 1993) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a striker for Women's Super League club Chelsea, and the Australia women's national team, which she has captained since 2019. Known for her speed, skill, and tenacity,[3] Kerr is widely considered one of the best strikers in the world,[4][5][6] and one of Australia's greatest athletes.[7][8][9]

Kerr is the all-time leading Australian international scorer, with 69 international goals,[10] and was the all-time leading scorer in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States until 2024. She is the only female soccer player to have won the Golden Boot in three different leagues and on three different continents—the W-League (Australia/New Zealand) in 2017–18 and 2018–19, the NWSL (North America) in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and the Women's Super League (Europe) in 2020–21 and 2021–22.[11]

Kerr started her career at the age of 15 with Perth Glory where she played from 2008 to 2012, before moving 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.[12] In 2019, Kerr indicated her interest to play in Europe, and having fielded multiple offers from clubs such as Olympique Lyonnais,[13] Kerr ultimately signed with Chelsea, so far winning 8 trophies with the club, including back-to-back-to-back Women's Super League titles, as well as helping the team reach the UEFA Women's Champions League final for the first time in 2021.[14]

Kerr earned her first senior international cap in 2009 at the age of 15 and has since represented Australia at the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup tournaments, the 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023 FIFA Women's World Cups, and the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics. During the 2019 World Cup, she became the first Australian player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup tournament.[15] In 2021, she captained the team to their historic first ever semi-final of a major tournament during the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics, resulting in their best ever 4th-place finish.[16]

  1. ^ "List of Players – 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup" (PDF). FIFAdata.com. FIFA. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  2. ^ "FIFA Women's World Cup Canada 2015 – List of Players" (PDF). FIFAdata.com. FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  3. ^ Farley, Richard (13 July 2017). "The new paradigm: Sky Blue's Sam Kerr might be the best player on earth". FourFourTwo. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019.
  4. ^ Parkin, Richard (5 June 2019). "Sam Kerr: 'I was total crap in my first season as a footballer'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  5. ^ "Australian captain Sam Kerr named best player in the Women's Super League". Fox Sports. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  6. ^ Zhou, Naaman (19 July 2023). "Sam Kerr and the Dream of an Australian World Cup Title". The New Yorker. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Sam Kerr's latest exploits mark her out as one of Australia's greatest athletes | Joey Lynch". the Guardian. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  8. ^ Smith, Rory (20 July 2023). "Australia's New Queen". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  9. ^ Vinall, Frances (14 July 2023). "Sam Kerr mania heats up as Australia readies to co-host soccer World Cup". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "'This means the most to me' – Sam Kerr wins WSL and Golden Boot". The Women's Game. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  12. ^ S. Kerr at Soccerway. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  13. ^ Rugari, Dominic; Bossi, Vince (7 November 2019). "Kerr-ching: Two European giants submit hefty offers for Sam Kerr". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  14. ^ Hudson, Molly. "Sam Kerr signing can elevate Chelsea to Europe's elite". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  15. ^ Reilly, Ella (19 June 2019). "Sam Kerr goal-fest draws plaudits as other qualities shine through". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  16. ^ "The Matildas' hopes of an Olympic medal are dashed by the US". ABC News. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2022.