Sam Kerr has opened up about her personal life in a candid mini documentary, revealing how her girlfriend helped her through the darkest time in her career.
Before she was the poster child for women's football globally, as Matildas captain, a Ballon d'Or nominee, and a golden boot winner in the Australian and US domestic leagues, Kerr hit a significant fork in the road in late 2015.
In the first half of a W-League match in Brisbane, Kerr suffered a troubling non-contact injury, a severe ligament rupture in her left foot which kept her sidelined for months.
At the time it was the third major injury in her career after she had a 2011 knee reconstruction and another knee injury in 2014.
"I knew straight away that it was a serious, serious injury. The hardest part about being injured is the mental side of things," the Matildas skipper said in a Nike documentary, 'Sam Kerr: Birthplace of Dreams'.
"It's probably the lowest point I've ever been in my life and career."
Kerr said in that moment it was her relationship with American footballer and Perth Glory and Chicago Red Stars teammate Nicole Stanton that lifted her spirits.
"I told my mum, 'I've just got to get out of here', and all I wanted to do was just be with Nikki," she said.
Stanton recalled a moment when Kerr had "a breakdown" in a shopping centre as the stress of the injury got to her.
"You were crying in the dips [section]," Stanton said in the documentary.
"It was a tough time, because you had doctors saying your career is over, and for an athlete to hear that would be devastating."
Kerr said it was that turbulent time that brought them closer together and helped her rehab through the injury and fight hard to get back to her best football.
"She helped me a lot through my injury," she said.
"That's maybe why I feel so deeply connected to her, because that was the worst time in my career and at the same time, I had one of the most exciting things building in my life.
"It's been really nice to have someone in your life that challenges you to be the best you and I think that's been a really big part of the change in my career, is her being herself. She's just a safe place for me."
Kerr will be a key player in the Matildas' Women's World Cup campaign which begins on June 9 against Italy, and as one of the favourites to win the tournament, all eyes will be on the women in green and gold.
They’re not just looking to make history for the Matildas though. Kerr knows exactly how important winning the Women’s World Cup would be for the entire sporting landscape in Australia.
"It would change the way Australia thinks about women’s sport and women’s football, but I think it would change the way the whole world thinks about Australian football,” Kerr told Wide World of Sports at the launch of the Matildas’ exclusive new kit.
"We’re always talked about at a different level to other nations but the Matildas are slowly gaining that respect of the rest of the world, so I think the biggest thing would be changing people’s minds and kind of an ‘I Told Ya So’ to a lot of people."
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