Sam Kerr and Wembley did not get off to the best of starts. Her first trip to the home of English football, for the 2020 Community Shield, was dubbed a ‘nightmare’ by BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce after the striker missed several chances to score.
Chelsea and Kerr were still victorious that day, but her status and recent big-money move meant her performance came under the microscope. Nearly three years on and two Wembley visits on, that ‘nightmare’ is nothing but a distant memory.
Kerr stole the show when she scored two goals in Chelsea’s FA Cup victory over Arsenal in the delayed final of 2021 before netting twice again as the Blues retained the trophy by beating Manchester City last year.
Now, Kerr says Wembley is her favourite stadium. When asked why, the smiling Aussie says: ‘Every time I go there it’s for a trophy, I never have to visit otherwise!
‘It’s a big-game stadium. You don’t go there to play any other game other than for a trophy. I’ve never been there and not won a trophy.’
Sam Kerr insists Wembley is her favourite stadium despite not getting off to a fast start there
Kerr missed several chances to score in Chelsea’s Community Shield triumph in 2020
That is what Manchester United are up against on Saturday. This is their first ever visit to Wembley and the first time they have made the final of the FA Cup.
Chelsea, in comparison, are four-time winners and are looking for a third straight victory. They have also never lost to United since the club reformed their women’s team in 2018. Kerr, too, has an exceptional record against United – with seven goals and two assists in seven games.
The thought of losing Saturday’s final does not even come into her thinking.
‘You can’t think about losing ever,’ Kerr says. ‘That’s the number one sin of a footballer. If you think about that it’s going to happen.
‘I only think about the good things. Once you start thinking negative thoughts, that’s the only way you’re going to go. I visualise scoring a goal, the celebrations, seeing my family after the game, all the things that make me play football and be a footballer.’
Injuries to Fran Kirby and Pernille Harder have seen Kerr carry the goal-scoring burden even more this season term but insists the pressure of producing big moments is what she lives for.
‘I wouldn’t have it any other way, I think that’s why I chose to be a striker. I play this game to score goals and I don’t think about those types of things – I love the pressure, I love the big games, I love being able to have a moment in the palm of your hands and be able to do something great.’
Despite Chelsea’s hectic schedule Kerr made time to play a part in the King’s Coronation – leading the Australian delegation. The striker joked that she’d given Prince Harry a ‘Kerr 20’ shirt to wear to the final and while the Duke of Sussex will not be in attendance, Prince William, President of the Football Association, will.
‘I was part worried about missing a training session because that’s just who I am, but it all worked out,’ Kerr says. ‘It was an amazing honour and something I’ll probably tell my kids about in 10 to 15 years.’
After winning back-to-back FA Cups at Wembley, Kerr is yet to lose at the home of football
Kerr has a big few months ahead of her with the forward set to captain the Matildas in a home World Cup this summer. The 29-year-old is perhaps in the peak of her career but believes the best is still to come.
‘I obviously hope I have a lot more to give, I think I feel like I have a lot more to give. I think Emma [Hayes] struggles to give me a rest because I get a bit angry if I’m not playing!
‘Even though I feel like there’s a game every three days I feel like I have more to give, and I still have a lot I want to achieve. So for me it’s about still getting better.
‘You can’t look into the future, but I see myself going bigger and better than what I am now and hopefully continue winning trophies.’