Commercial offers flood in for superstar Sam Kerr after Matildas success

SAM Kerr’s goals have helped propel the Matildas to a new place on the Australian sporting landscape. Now the star striker is set to capitalise on her star power.

Sam Kerr’s star is on the rise.

HER goals have helped propel the Matildas to a new place on the Australian sporting landscape, and her backflip celebration is becoming as trademark as Tim Cahill’s boxing at the corner flag.

Now striker Sam Kerr is poised to follow Cahill as an Australian footballer with mass-market appeal.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Kerr has received a host of commercial offers amidst the acclaim that the Matildas have garnered for their amazing run of results this year.

Sam Kerr’s star is on the rise.

Kerr’s two goals against Brazil on Tuesday night in a 3-2 win gave her a tally of seven in four games in 2017 for the national team, and she is widely expected to be one of the leading candidates when the longlist for FIFA World Player of the Year is cut from 10 to three on Friday.

Scoring in the past four games for Australia has brought Kerr to within touching distance of the record of five games set by former Matilda Sarah Walsh, following on from a succession of records set by Kerr in the US National Women’s Soccer League.

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With some 330,000 fans tuning in to watch Australia beat Brazil for the second time in four games, in front of a crowd of almost 17,000 supporters in Newcastle, the Matildas have become hot property - with Kerr a bona fide star on the pitch and off it.

“In what’s been a fantastic week for the Matildas generally, Sam has not just been brilliant on the pitch but has shown humility and class off it,” said FFA CEO David Gallop. “Already we are assisting her to deal with the many requests coming her way, including those who want to work with her commercially.

“She’s got to be a red-hot chance of being named the best player in the world in a couple of months, and with the upcoming games against China in Melbourne, that’s another chance for fans to see her play on home soil.”

The frightening thing, at least for opponents, is that Walsh believes Kerr has more to give, as her strength and confidence increases in the wake of several injuries. Kerr missed last year’s Olympic qualifying tournament with a serious knee injury, and Kerr said the time on the sidelines has sharpened her appetite for the game.

“I honestly think she has another gear to go to,” said Walsh. “The thing that’s really contributing to her success now is having a solid season without injury. In the past she’s had periods of success, got injured and that’s impacted her form and confidence.

Tim Cahill performs his trademark celebration.

“Before the injuries she’d had something of a cruisy run, we sometimes forget that she was in the national team at 15. But the time out with injury has made her hungry, got her back to why she played the game in the first place. Her composure is better, and her finishing - look at the goal that was ruled out for offside on Tuesday, the finish was superb.

“What’s important though is that if you ask any of the team, they love her because for her it’s about the team. Media struggle to get her to talk about herself because she thinks from a team perspective.”