Meet the real SAM KERR

She's as notorious for her attitude to privacy off the pitch as she is for her skill on it. But when The Weekly lands an interview with hard-to-pin-down Sam Kerr ahead of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the soccer sensation reveals the reason why she believes silence is golden.

- MARLEE SILVA

She will be audio only too. Thanks! This text message comes through at 6:58pm after I’ve already jumped onto the Zoom meeting, waiting for Sam Kerr, Matildas’ captain and global soccer phenomenon, to join me at 7pm. I’m accompanied in this virtual setting by three others who are in charge of the publicity related to Football Australia. And, even though they all technically work with Sam, there seems to be a nervous energy coming from them which equally reflects my own.

When you’re performing at the highest level, like Sam is – the only female football player to have won the Golden Boot in three different leagues on three different continents – you are afforded the privilege of having teams around you dedicated to ensuring that your commitments away from the sporting field are as easy and non-disruptive as possible.

At 29, Sam Kerr is a name synonymous with football. She’s surpassed gender and the limits of the Australian sporting landscape. And despite the enormous spotlight on her – presumably to keep her focus on performing on the pitch – Sam rarely does interviews.

When I’d first requested to speak with her on the back of the Disney+ series, Matildas: The World At Our Feet, I’d expected an immediate shutdown. When, after weeks of negotiations I was told I had been allocated 10 minutes of interview time, I was over the moon.

Sure, there are strict parameters set around what I’m allowed to ask. And now, moments out, I’ve been told that I’ll be interviewing Sam without her video switched on. But I’m still guaranteed I will be speaking with