Sam Kerr was always destined for greatness, just not in an academic sense – with the captain of Matildas revealing that she nearly got kicked out of high school for being “naughty.”
The star Chelsea striker is recovering from a calf injury and is racing to be fit to play for Australia against Denmark in their World Cup elimination match on Monday night.
In the run-up to the tournament, she spoke about the Disney+ documentary Matildas: The world at our feet about her early days at Samson Primary School and Somerville Baptist College, now known as Kennedy Baptist College, in Perth.
“As a kid, all I wanted to do was play sports,” she said.
“I was just a normal, grubby 10-year-old. I never wanted to brush my hair, I never paid attention in school.
‘I was naughty. I was asked to leave in year nine.’
Kerr made the startling confession while filming the documentary Matildas: The World at Our Feet for Disney+
Kerr described herself as a grubby kid who never brushed her hair and just wanted to exercise all the time
Kerr (pictured attending Samson Primary School in Perth) always had a cheeky streak
While Kerr managed to convince the school that she should stay, she wasn’t always in class because her soccer star continued to shine.
“I had Sam in my 10th grade English class in Somerville. She was often away because, even as a 15-year-old, she was on the Matildas team and had to attend numerous tournaments and training camps,” said English teacher Andrew Burton. The West.
“I would describe her at the time as a lively, fun-loving personality with a sassy sense of humour. She was clearly focused on pursuing her passion for football, but never made a big impression herself, in terms of showing off or bragging about her achievements.”
That love of football was evident even at a younger age, with Samson Primary School teacher Marion Burt remembering that Kerr was destined for success even at such a young age.
‘We have a so-called sports prize when our students graduate. She received the sports award for the year she left school,” she said.
My very last line of her award was “Samantha, we look forward to following your international career”.
“I’m proud of the fact that I must have known there must have been something in her that said she’d go far.”
Fast-forward to today and Kerr’s partner Kristie Mewis told the Matildas documentary that the striker possesses natural leadership skills which meant she was always destined for success.
“As a person, as a teammate, as a leader, she’s really the whole package,” said Mewis.
“And I think that’s something everyone tries to be, but she naturally has it.”
“So I think that’s super inspiring and I think everyone should be happy to have her on their team.”
Kerr is regarded as one of the best players in the world and football was much more interesting to her than studying in her early days
Kerr (pictured during Matildas training on Friday) is working hard to get her calf injury right so she can appear in the knockout stages of the FIFA Women’s World Cup
Kerr’s partner Kristie Mewis (pictured together) said the Aussie skipper has natural leadership qualities that come naturally to her
But Kerr insists she’s no one special and puts her shoes on one foot at a time, just like everyone else.
“I’m the same as any other person, some days I wake up feeling crappy and don’t feel like going to workout,” she said.
“As captain of the team, I’m not much of a motivational captain or get up there and give these great speeches.
“But I’m doing everything I can to let us win.
“There is so much pressure to perform well and do something great for our country.
“The Matildas have become a household name and everyone expects them to win.”
The six-part documentary Matildas: The World at Our Feet is now available to stream on Disney+.