Chelsea’s Sam Kerr to appear on the cover of FIFA 23

The eventful summer for the living legend, Sam Kerr, keeps rolling. Over a month after Kerr was given an honorable key to Perth, the Australian striker became the first female athlete to appear on the global front cover of FIFA. She will join Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe on the cover of FIFA 23. She joins Alex Morgan as the only other woman to feature as, back in 2016, Morgan was on an exclusive cover of the game that complemented Lionel Messi. From winning a Golden Boot for the second straight season in the Women’s Super League to surpassing the all-time Australian goal record back in January, there are not many things that Kerr cannot accomplish. The hype and anticipation surrounding the 2022/23 Chelsea Women’s season are through the roof. While Kerr is not playing in any of the international tournaments right now, she continues to keep making history and inspiring young women everywhere.

Kerr is not just a football star, she is now a brand and cultural icon. Her face being on the cover of one of the most recognizable video game franchises on the market only adds an evolving legend. Between 2020 and 2021, EA Sports shattered records, collecting $1.6 billion in game sales. FIFA sits fifth all-time in video game copies sold with 260 million and first for sports-themed games, blowing both Madden and NBA2K out of the water. Before coming to Chelsea, Kerr required that she wear the No. 20 due to that number being attached to her image. Kerr becomes the third Chelsea player—and first since Eden Hazard in FIFA 15—to appear on the cover of the game.

Chelsea’s Sam Kerr to feature on an edition of the upcoming FIFA 23 video game

Frank Lampard was the first Chelsea player to appear on the cover of the FIFA video game (FIFA 2010), along with Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott. Kerr is not just breaking through the barriers in the women’s game, her successes are beginning to be acknowledged just like some of the stars in the men’s game. There is a lot to say for a player who is still on the front cover of the news, despite not playing any international football this summer. She’s gone from a girl who dreamed of playing Australian football professionally to someone who became the first women’s athlete on the worldwide cover of FIFA and the second recipient of the keys of Perth since 2014. She is no doubt Australia’s most decorated and popular athlete of all-time, and the awards are still rolling in for an individual who is just 28 years old.

Kerr being attached to the same cover as one of the greatest men’s players on the planet paves the way for the future of female athletes to begin to be recognized not just on the domestic level, but also internationally. Kerr still has the aspiration to go back to the NWSL at some point in her career, and with her contract expiring at the end of 2024, the Blues need to cherish the time that they have with the Austrian trailblazer. The next step for Kerr to seal her fate in Chelsea lore, and football history is to lead the Blues to the pinnacle of the Champions League. Behind Barcelona, Kerr—alongside Emma Hayes—has brought the Chelsea Women into the cream of the crop in women’s football around the world. Before Kerr came to Kingsmeadow, the Blues lacked consistency and they were viewed as the second fiddle to Arsenal in the WSL.

Now, with Kerr on the cover of one of the biggest video games on the planet, young girls around the world will be able to see what is possible for a women’s athlete. Women’s football is beginning to gain more and more traction in terms of popularity with the United States celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, and Kerr is one of the faces of the continued revolution. Fans of the men’s game buying the new FIFA 23 will see Kerr on the cover of the Ultimate Edition, and it may intrigue them to look into women’s football. Kerr may have finished second in the Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2022, but she has received the bigger honor, being on the cover of the actual game.

Like Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas said during the aforementioned ceremony in Perth in June:

"“Sam is a role model athlete and an inspiration for people young and old – but especially young girls – and she is arguably Australia’s most decorated and popular athlete.”"

The FIFA 23 cover could potentially be looked at as another turning point in the recognition of the women’s game around the world. With a potentially historic season for the Blues on the horizon and the Women’s World Cup in the summer of 2023, Kerr is gearing up for a year that is bound to be one of the best of her career. Thus, a summer filled with acknowledgments could be an appetizer for what is to come for the Australian striker.