World Football

Sam Kerr: The making of a Matilda

07.15.2023 - By BBC World ServicePlay

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Sam Kerr is at the pinnacle of her career. She’s won her fourth Women’s Super League title with Chelsea, another FA Cup and is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in world football, winning multiple Golden Boot awards across the globe. And now the Australian record goal scorer and captain, who was inspired by Cathy Freeman’s gold medal winning race at the Sydney Olympics, is the face of the 2023 World Cup – looking for her team’s own iconic moment -where a nation stops to watch. So where did it all begin for Sam Kerr? Maz Farookhi and Jenny Wallace find out. 1993 was the year Australia’s most famous sporting icon Shane Warne bowled the Ball of the Century, but it’s also the year the future Matildas captain was born in Perth and in to a family passionate about Aussie rules football. You’ll meet the Kerr camp: the coaches, players and family that have played their part in her rise to the top including back to back World Cup winner, USA’s Carli Lloyd, Australia teammates Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley, plus her parents Roger and Roxanne.

(Producer: Joanne Smith) (Image: An image of Australia's Sam Kerr is projected onto the Sydney Opera House on September 05, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. Credit: Getty Images)

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