Cathy Freeman needed just 49 seconds to etch her name into Australian sporting legend.

Twenty – three years on and the epic scenes from that 400m final at the Sydney Olympics remain some of the most iconic images in our rich history.

Determined to follow in her idol’s footsteps, Sam Kerr knows that all she needs to carve her name into Australian folklore with indelible ink is a few seconds.

“I remember Cathy Freeman still to this day,” Kerr says of 2000. “One of the most amazing moments [was] watching her run on home soil. I hope that we can be in 30 years what Cathy Freeman [was] to kids like us.”

Now her stage is set. Millions around the world are ready to watch, enormous crowds of green and gold will gather to watch Kerr produce her magic.

The years of training, heartache, blood, sweat and tears will come down to a handful of matches.

The preparation will become back ground noise.

People won’t be talking about how Australian rules was her first sport or that she made her national debut as a 15-year-old just three years after taking up football.

There won’t be a mention of her time with Perth Glory or Sydney FC – a big enough moment could even drown out the noise from her fourth straight Women’s Super League title with Chelsea.

Because it’s all just part of the journey – the road Kerr has travelled to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – a home World Cup.

It will be her fourth global tournament – but most – diehard fans aside – would struggle to recall a standout moment from Kerr at those tournaments.

The 2023 Cup will be different.

Kerr will get her moment.

GLOBAL STARDOM

Kerr is now a global superstar, a household name and the highest scoring Australian football player.

Her face is on the cover of the FIFA 23 video game – which sold more than 10.3 million copies, she has her own LEGO figurine and is used extensively by Nike.

While not the most influential women’s footballer in the world in terms of social media reach (Aston Villa’s Alisha Lehmann 12.4 million), Kerr is the most followed footballer (men’s or women’s) in Australia with 1.2 million fans – almost double Tim Cahill’s following.

Ashley Reade, vice-president and general manager at Nike Pacific (Australia and New Zealand) said the World Cup will only grow Kerr’s brand.

“The Nike family are beyond proud of Sam Kerr – authentic, a powerhouse player, and dedicated teammate,” Reade said.

“Sam has already inspired a generation of young kids by showing them what is possible. “This moment is only going to extend that reach and impact for women’s sport and female athletes, and ultimately transcend beyond any kind of gender or sporting construct.”

Football Australia CEO James Johnson saw just how big a star Kerr is when he flew to London to watch the Women’s FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United in May with the Aussie scoring the winner.

“It was very clear that she is one of the most recognisable athletes in the UK, men or women right now,” Johnson said.

“Sam hates to lose. It is great to have that kind of personality leading your team.”

THE JOURNEY

Football, or round ball, wasn’t something Kerr had paid any attention to growing up in WA where Australian rules was the sport of choice.

Her dad Roger played for East Fremantle and Perth in the state league while her brother Daniel was on the books at the West Coast Eagles.

Kerr watched and played with her siblings and was the only girl in a boys team at the local football club.

When she turned 12 the game became too rough and she was forced to stop.

Enter football.

Kerr has previously spoken about how hard it was to go from being one of the better players to joining a team in a sport she knew nothing about.

She struggled in her first season but Kerr’s ingrained competitive drive meant she refused to give up.

Just three years later, as a 15-year-old, she signed for Perth Glory and became the youngest player to score in the W-League.

The same year she found herself in camp with national team coach Tom Sermanni, who put her on the pitch for her first international senior game, at 15-years and 150 days old, against Italy.

“Dynamic is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Sam at that age,” Sermanni said.

“She had power for a 15-year-old, outstanding physical qualities, jumped like a gazelle, quick, strong, had all the material to be a very good football player.”

Sermanni said he is often asked if he knew straight away that Kerr was going to be as good as she is today.

“What she has done over the years to go from being a player with raw talent to one of the best, accomplished footballers in the world, not just physically, is not something you could predict at that age,” he continued.

“It was never a question of hard work, it was more whether she was going to be able to progress in a football sense. She had the skills and physical qualities, it was more how is she going to use those talents that she has to become a player.”

UNIQUE VERSATILITY

A prime example of Kerr’s evolution is her position on the pitch.

When Sermanni was coaching Kerr – she played on the right wing.

“She played some games as a No. 9 but she was predominantly on the right wing partly because of where she was in her development at that stage and the players we had in the national team,” he said.

It was during her time in the W-League that Kerr found her calling as an out-and-out striker.

Sermanni said around camp and on the field Kerr was always just happy to be herself.

“Win, draw or lose she was just a kid who enjoyed playing football, she played every game with a smile on her face,” he said.

The coach fondly recalls an early tournament in Asia.

“Back then all the teams stayed at the same hotel. Within a couple of days Sam knew all the players from the other teams and everyone knew her, despite the language barrier. She just had an ability to connect with people,” Sermanni said.

On the pitch Kerr is focused and determined to win.

She was prolific in her W-League stints playing first for Perth Glory, then moving to Sydney FC after missing the 2011/12 season with an ACL tear.

Kerr then headed back home to play for Perth from 2014-2019.

In the Australian off-season Kerr played in the American NWSL.

She played for Western New York Flash (2013/14), Sky Blue FC (2015-17) and Chicago Red Stars (2018/19) and is the NWSL all time leading goal scorer netting 77 goals in 119 games with the three clubs.

JOINING CHELSEA

It was at the end of 2019 that Chelsea came knocking and Kerr penned a $2 million deal making her the highest paid Australian women’s footballer.

She wasted no time making her mark winning both the club and competition’s golden boot award with 28 goals. She remains the only women’s footballer to have won the golden boot in three different leagues in three different continents.

Sermanni said choosing to play in the American league was a move that set Kerr’s career alight.

“It helped her develop certain aspects of her game and then going to England in one of the best teams in the world, where the games are slightly different, she adapted again,” he said.

“She could have just been this super athlete who scores goals but she has proved her ability to play the game tactically.”

Kerr and Chelsea have now won four consecutive Women’s Super League titles.

The super striker has claimed countless accolades, including being nominated for every women’s Ballon D’or award since its inception in 2018.

On a national level Kerr also soared, becoming the first Australian, male or female, to score a hat-trick at a World Cup – in 2019.

She starred at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics but has won just one piece of silverware in the green and gold – The Asian Cup in 2010.

THE LEADER?

He never doubted her talent but Sermanni insists he never would have chosen to hand the captain’s armband to Kerr.

“I’d be a liar if I said I’d picked her to be a captain,” he said. “I think it was mostly an age thing but her personality at the time as well.

“We had a lot of players come through our system at that time, Sam was just interested in playing football, she enjoyed it, nothing ever flustered her.

“(Now) it is just another quality she is adding to her career.”

Kerr said herself, in the new Disney documentary Matildas: The World at Our Feet that she was not a typical captain.

“I’m not this motivational captain that will stand up there and give these amazing speeches,” Kerr said.

“But I’m doing everything I can to make us win.”

Matildas’ vice-captain Steph Catley said Kerr was a “great” captain.

“Her and I have a really close relationship as captain and vice-captain and we often work together on a lot of things – we balance each other out quite well,” Catley said.

“I’ve grown up with her, she has come so far and she’s just turned into this incredible person who’s very, very caring about everyone that she comes across and she is obviously very inspiring.”

Cortnee Vine plays alongside Kerr in the forwards and said Kerr’s leadership was key to the Matildas’ success.

“She just keeps getting better,” Vine said. “I think she is a great captain and I think she is the we are winning.

“It is because of how she communicates on the field and the quality she drives in training and the way she gets around everyone is very positive in the camp environment.

Off the field Vine said Kerr made a massive effort to ensure everyone felt part of the team.

“As a person she is just so humble for what she has achieved,” the Sydney FC striker said.

“She is very down to earth, and has a laugh with everyone.”

PRESSURE COOKER

All the Matildas will feel the pressure of this World Cup, but as captain of the home team and a global star, no one will feel it quite like Kerr. And she’s the first to admit it’s gotten the better of her in the past.

She missed a penalty in the 2019 French World Cup Round of 16 clash with Norway, which Australia went on to lose.

At the Asian Cup in 2022 the usually on-point striker missed several golden opportunities to score against South Korea.

The 1-0 shock quarterfinal loss was the Aussies worst Asian Cup result.

“The biggest regret for me has been getting caught up in things,” Kerr said at the announcement of the Matilda’s squad for the World Cup. “Football is such an up and down game.

“There’s always pressure in sport, it’s a privilege and I love pressure. I love that one or two moments can change the path of your career, it’s exciting but everyone deals with it differently.

“Maybe I take on too much responsibility sometimes but yeah, when there’s a big moment that I miss I definitely think about it more than I should.”

MANAGING EXPECTATION

Johnson said a lot had changed in the past year and Football Australia had put a lot of focus and effort into ensuring not just Kerr but the entire squad was equipped to handle the extreme pressure of a home World Cup.

“We are providing as much support as we can on the pitch but also putting the right support network around the team off the pitch,” Johnson said.

He said having Kerr and the majority of the squad play overseas in world class competitions was a major boost for their ability to handle the need to perform.

“I think Sam is dealing with the pressures of performing every week because when you are playing at a club like (Chelsea) the pressure is on you every week to win and to perform,” Johnson said.

Sermanni said it was up to Football Australia to protect Kerr and give her the opportunity to just play football.

“She needs to be protected from the off field pressures and stresses and demands and able to just focus on her football and enjoy it,” he said.

“That is the danger of a World Cup at home with the profile she has and the team has and women’s football. The players need to be protected from as many distractions as possible.”

THE LEGACY

If Kerr can embrace the pressure bubbling away under her every move then there is no reason she can’t create her moment this World Cup.

Elise Kellond-Knight has played alongside Kerr for almost all of her 120 Caps- she was on the pitch when she made her debut against Italy in 2009.

“Sam’s amazing,” Kellond-Knight said.

“She’s got one, a natural gift and two she is a fantastic person.

“She has so much charisma, so much positivity and I think that she really sums up what the Matildas are.”

Kellond-Knight, who will miss the World Cup due to a ruptured achilles, said the tournament was Kerr’s time to do something really special.

“She’s had so many great personal accolades, so many club achievements but the national team is still a carrot she hasn’t really grabbed yet.

“She’s really a pioneer for all of female sports and she has really put women’s sports on the radar.”

Ask Kerr about writing her name into Australian folklore alongside her idol Freeman and she knows how big the occasion in front of her is.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. “To play a World Cup on home soil and we’re hoping that we can inspire the nation and change the way women’s football is around the world.

“Speaking to people that have gone through this, we have a legend herself, Cathy Freeman, that all of us girls look up to, and you know she did this same thing 20 years ago.

“Hopefully in 20 years time people are talking about the Matildas and what we did.”

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