Matildas attacker Amy Sayer says her ACL rehab was the ‘hardest’ thing she has ever done

Amy Sayer felt like her knee had “dislocated five metres to the left”. It started a harrowing journey back to the Matildas that took more than 450 days. This is her story.

The second the ball hit the net Amy Sayer jumped, threw her first in the air and grinned from ear to ear — to those watching it was just a goal — to her it was a just reward.

It was the first time Sayer had played for the Matildas in 457 days.

The 12 months leading up to the game against Argentina had been the toughest of her career.

Sayer ruptured her ACL playing for Kristianstads DFF in the Swedish league in April, 2024.

“It’s a little bit gross but it felt like my knee had dislocated five metres to the left,” Sayer said.

“I didn’t hear a pop, so I was optimistic. I learned later that my physios knew immediately when they were testing me on the field, from the fact I went down and clutched my knee with both my hands, like I was trying to hold it together (that I’d done my ACL).”

After narrowly missing selection for the 2023 World Cup, the injury ruled Sayer out of contention for the Paris Olympics.

The 23-year-old said the rehab was the “hardest thing” she had done.

“The length of it, it’s a whole year of just mental battles, physical battles, just everything,” Sayer said.

“You’re literally rebuilding your body from the ground up and rebuilding all the muscles in your legs as well as your co-ordination and your ability.”

Five months post surgery Sayer was finally given the all clear to run.

Sayer said it wasn’t anything special — as a midfielder running was something she does a lot of.

Amy Sayer (R) celebrates her second goal with Charlie Grant.

“But I’m running in a straight line and I can barely run properly,” Sayer said.

“I have a little limp, I can’t even get my leg to co-ordinate properly and I’m thinking how can I even think about changing direction, let alone having a ball and being able to do skills or plant my body and have something like 10 times my body weight of force go through my knee as I’m striking a ball to score a goal.

“It sent me into a spiral a couple of times.”

Sayer said it wasn’t until the final two months of her rehab that she came to fully trust her rebuilt ACL.

When she got a call up to the Matildas squad for the friendly series against Argentina just a month after making her domestic comeback Sayer didn’t have high expectations for herself.

“To be playing competitive games and making the squad already straight off the back of my injury is something that I’m not taking for granted,” Sayer said.

“It’s an honour every time, but it’s extra special for me.”

While it was interim coach Tom Sermanni who pulled her back into the squad, new coach Joe Montemurro is continuing to back Sayer.

It is hard not to with her form and the fact she scored two goals against Argentina in her first game back.

“It was really unexpected for me, I’m not typically a goal scorer, as a midfielder what I’ve always loved is being the assistant to the goals,” Sayer said.

“It was a nice pay off, I think it was a bit of karmic reward, a little bonus for all the energy and effort and dedication that I had to put into my rehab.”

Sayer name, Sayer name 🎶

549 days since she last started for @TheMatildas, Amy Sayer secures the opener in Canberra 👏#AUSvARG is LIVE on Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/qtZJnKdIGb

— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) June 2, 2025

The dynamic midfielder could well prove to be the key to the Asian Cup, especially with Mary Fowler in a race against the clock to be fit in time for the tournament.

While not as big a tournament as the World Cup or the Olympics – getting fit in time for the Asian Cup was a key motivator for Sayer during her rehab.

“It’ll be my first official tournament with the Matildas squad if I’m able and lucky enough to make the team and it would mean everything to me,” Sayer said.

“I’ve missed a lot of major tournaments with the Matildas with injuries or just not being selected so I would not take it for granted.”

Matildas will play Slovenia in Perth on Thursday, kick off is at 9pm (AEST).

Originally published as Matildas attacker Amy Sayer says her ACL rehab was the ‘hardest’ thing she has ever done