Chelsea forward Sam Kerr has received her first Matildas call-up in two years. The talismanic striker has finally earned her long-awaited return to the Australian national squad after overcoming injury heartbreak and surgery. The Blues forward, who tore her ACL during a mid-season training camp in Morocco back in January 2024, has endured a gruelling 20-month road to recovery. But now, the 32-year-old icon has been named in Joe Montemurro’s Australia squad for their October friendlies against Wales and England, her first international call-up since late 2023.

Ordinarily, when Sam Kerr gets the ball inside the six yard box, she shoots. We're talking about one of the deadliest strikers on the planet, someone who has set records on three continents and scored more international goals than any player in Australia's history. But when she found herself in that position on Sunday, as Chelsea visited Aston Villa, it was the first time she had done so in 634 days. So while her uncharacteristic decision to pass was somewhat jarring, given how unfamiliar it looked, it was understandable.

Sam Kerr returned with a bang for Chelsea as the Australia international made her long-awaited comeback from a serious injury. After spending 20 months stuck on the sidelines, with it proving difficult to overcome an ACL setback, the Blues superstar was back among the goals when finding the target late on in a WSL clash with Aston Villa in the West Midlands.

The Lionesses' shot-stopper kept Sonia Bompastor's side in the game at times, before the champions showed their quality to battle to victory

While Sam Kerr edges closer towards a return and Alyssa Thompson has arrived for a club-record fee, the Blues' homegrown forward is still shining