- Spent 634 days out of the game after an ACL rupture
- Finally broke the 100 game milestone with Chelsea
- Presented with special gift for her achievement
Sam Kerr has been honoured by Chelsea with a special hand-crafted soccer ball to mark her 100 goals for the English champions – and she hasn’t been able to stop smiling ever since her landmark strike.
Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor declared her star 31-year-old striker had been ‘like a new person’ ever since the relief of the milestone goal last weekend against Aston Villa on her return after 634 days out with injury.
Kerr has been feted ever since and was clearly touched to receive the ball at Chelsea’s training ground this week.
‘Dear Sam, to celebrate your incredible 100 goals for Chelsea, we wanted to give you something as special as the achievement itself,’ the club told her.
‘This ball was handcrafted by Perth-based artist and Chelsea fan Emily Hessell, with each panel marking the minute, opponent and date of every goal you’ve scored for Chelsea.
‘It’s a small way for all of us at Chelsea to say thank you for everything you’ve achieved.’
Sam Kerr scores her 100th goal for Chelsea, a huge milestone after spending 634 days sidelined with injury
‘Wow, that’s amazing,’ said Kerr, on receiving the treasure. ‘You know, 100 goals, it feels amazing. Honestly. I mean, I love playing for this club.’
Gazing at her list of goals, Kerr reckoned her best were the brilliant lobbed finish against Arsenal in the Women’s FA Cup final in December 2021 and the remarkable volley-on-the-turn against Manchester United that sealed the WSL title a few months later.
‘The relief I felt scoring my first goal for Chelsea to the relief I felt on the weekend are pretty similar,’ she also noted.
‘Someone interviewed me after the game and asked who writes my scripts, and it was just like, funny, because I feel like I’m just lucky.’
Manager Bompastor was thrilled Kerr was ‘officially back’ and laughed: ‘Sam has been great. She’s been smiling from last Sunday.
‘It’s so important for her confidence, for her morale. I think she’s like a new person. All these months were tough, and that’s over now. It’s been the light at the end of the tunnel.
‘Sam is one of the players that people pay to come to the stadium for, just to watch her on the pitch. I would probably pay to do that!
‘She’s now officially back. She’s scored her 100th goal. She has a lot of things to achieve with the club and the team – but we still need to be patient.
Kerr beams with pride as Chelsea present a handcrafted ball marking her phenomenal 100-goal milestone achievement
Crafted in Perth, the soccer ball detailed Kerr’s every strike, making the gift even more personal and emotional
Sam Kerr admits she hasn’t stopped smiling since reaching the 100-goal milestone at Chelsea
‘It was a long time away from the pitch and everything won’t just come like that. Even if the fans don’t realise that.
‘What is nice is she’s working really hard in the training sessions with us. She has the support of everyone in the club. That’s a nice feeling for her.’
Bompastor suggested Kerr might still not be at 100 percent and was ‘probably not ready to start a game’.
‘She’s someone you have to tell her to go slowly, to stop her a bit, because she’s so excited and wants to be on the pitch as much as possible, which we understand. We have to be careful with her still.’
Kerr’s next likely outing will be on Sunday in front of the Chelsea faithful at their Kingsmeadow home against Emily van Egmond’s Leicester.
