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Following another record-breaking season with the Chicago Red Stars, the Matildas captain has signed a mega-money deal worth nearly $2 million with the two-time FAWSL champions which will make her one of the highest-paid female players in the world.
The 2019 Women’s Ballon d’Or nominee will line up alongside the likes of Swedish skipper Magdalena Eriksson and English ace Fran Kirby in a star-studded squad.
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After clinching the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Golden Boot for a third straight season, talks of an inevitable move to Europe began to surface as Kerr quickly became one of the game’s biggest stars.
Despite narrowly missing out on the 2018 Ballon d’Or, English giants Chelsea were quick to snap up the 26-year-old’s signature — a move that will undoubtedly give Kerr a global stage to showcase her ability.
Speaking with Fox Football’s Tara Rushton, she shared her exciting news with the world.
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“I think it’s time to finally let the cat out of the bag” Kerr said.
“I’ve decided to not play in the W-League this year and to not play in the NWSL, I’ve decided to head to Europe.
“I’ll be playing in London for Chelsea Football Club.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play in Europe and in the last year I thought about it and thought this is the time. I felt really comfortable at Chelsea speaking to the coach so I thought it was time.
“I think at the end of the day the most important thing was me feeling comfortable and I felt most comfortable with a move to Chelsea and I felt like it would be the least amount of culture shock. The club just appealed to me with the way they approached the signing, they kept it really professional and it’s something that attracted me to the club.”
After almost single-handedly dragging the Matildas to a Round 16 finish at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, Kerr set her sights on another record-shattering season with Chicago.
Leading the league with 18 goals and five assists, Kerr helped the Red Stars make their first appearance in the NWSL Championship against the North Carolina Courage — only to fall agonisingly short at the final hurdle.
Prior to the concluding clash, Kerr was named the 2019 NWSL Most Valuable Player — the first and only player in the competition’s history to receive the award twice.
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Given her unrivalled domestic success and undeniable brilliance while wearing the green and gold of her country, the FFA were always going to struggle to keep their biggest drawcard on Australian shores.
“We haven’t been able to retain Sam Kerr,” head of leagues Greg O’Rourke told the ABC in October.
“Sam spoke to us about last season and she spoke about her want to be part of Perth Glory and the W-League leading into the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We worked through that with nearly an unsaid acceptance that the following year she would like to challenge herself in the world market place.
“Wherever Sam lands, she will do really well.”
Kerr arrives in west London with a wealth of experience under her belt and Blues fans will be expecting big things from the latest Aussie import to touch down in the United Kingdom.
But while undoubted pressure comes with her arrival, Kerr insists the ‘challenge is what she needs at the moment’.
“Anything can happen but I’m going there with an open mind to get better and learn and try and better myself as a footballer and a person,” she said.
“I think it’s going to challenge me a lot so I’m excited.”
Just days after the Matildas secured a historic deal to earn the same pay as the Socceroos, the team’s skipper will now become one of the highest paid female footballers in history.
“It’s obviously pretty amazing to say it like that but for me it’s just the start,” Kerr said.
“I think all women’s footballers should be paid this amount and hopefully in the future there’s many more Matildas that earn this amount of money.
“It’s not about the money for me, I probably could have got bigger money elsewhere but for me it’s about feeling comfortable and going somewhere where I know I’ll be valued and Chelsea have always been in the hunt for me and said that I was the player they wanted. I want to be at a club where they need me as much as I need them.”