When Sam Kerr finished primary school, her PE teacher made a prediction.
Kerr was 12 at the time, but even at that age her footballing talent was clear to everyone at Samson Primary School.
“We give awards at the end of primary school,” PE teacher Marion Burt tells Standard Sport. “And, when I wrote my speech for her, my last line was: ‘Samantha, we look forward to following your international career’.”
It is 18 years since Burt's speech and her words have come true, as tomorrow night Kerr will captain Australia when the co-hosts kick off their World Cup campaign against Ireland in Sydney.
Kerr is a global superstar and the poster girl of this tournament. Her face is all over adverts, billboards and even a two-storey mural in Fremantle, the port city where Kerr grew up.
Fremantle is, like much of Western Australia, very laidback. The locals here joke that W.A stands for “wait awhile”. Kerr, however, was always remembered for being a bundle of energy during break times at school.
“She would be out there refining her back-flips, with a few other girls — who never attempted it,” says Burt. “She wouldn't do it for very long, because the boys would be playing soccer and that is where she wanted to be.”
Kerr is from a sports-mad family. Her Dad, Roger, and brother, Daniel, both played Aussie Rules professionally, while mum, Roxanne, was a state netball player. Kerr's great uncle was a jockey who won the 1966 Melbourne Cup.
Growing up, Kerr could turn her hand to anything, as Burt found out when she parachuted her into a hockey match at the last minute after being a player short.
“The game started and Samantha just yelled at me and said: ‘How do I play hockey?’” recalls Burt.
“I went: ‘Samantha, just hit the ball’. And, of course, she starred. She could pick up any sport and just play.”
Aussie Rules was Kerr's first love and as a junior she played at the same club as her dad. But age 12, when sport in Australia stops being mixed, she focused on football. Three years later, she was making her debut for the national team, and she has gone on to score 63 goals for her country — more than any other Australian, man or woman.
Kerr has become one of the best players in the world, finishing as the top scorer in the American, Australian and English leagues.
Since joining Chelsea in 2019, she has scored five goals in the past three FA Cup finals and finished second in the last two Women's Ballon d'Or.
Kerr, however, has stayed humble, even though her star has grown so big that last year she became the first female player to feature on a global cover of the video game FIFA.
“Even today, she doesn't seek the limelight,” says Burt. “At school, she was the type of player, and she still is, if she could pass off the ball to someone else so that they could score, she we do it.”
Kerr is someone who puts the team first and that has been clear in the build-up to this World Cup. She has spoken about how this is Australia's moment to shine — not her's.
“As a team and the Matildas, I hope this tournament is remembered for the rest of our lives, the rest of young girls and boys' lives,” says Kerr. “Kind of like Cathy Freeman in 2000.”
Freeman was an idol for Kerr growing up. She initially lacked female sporting heroes, but that changed when Freeman raced to gold in the 400m at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
The comparisons with the Matildas' chance to inspire a generation are obvious, but parallels can also be drawn with the Lionesses.
Kerr was at the Euro 2022 final as England beat Germany last year and admits to being jealous. Immediately messages were flying around the Australia team's WhatsApp group, with everyone agreeing they should dream to replicate that a year later.
Australia have never got past the quarter-finals of a World Cup, but they have a talented squad and an inspirational leader in Kerr.
She is not much of a motivational speaker and instead leads by example. She is an exceptional trainer, so much so she almost missed carrying the flag at the Coronation of King Charles III in May as she did not want to miss a session at Chelsea. Blues boss Emma Hayes intervened and made sure Kerr took the opportunity to be a part of history.
Kerr is convinced she will be able to handle the pressure of being under the spotlight at the World Cup.
“I love pressure,” she says. “I love being in a moment where one or two moments can change the path of your career — and the World Cup is one of those.”
