--- description: Find out how Sam Kerr is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2022 TIME100 Next: Sam Kerr image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf01cfcf5eb7ef10/698a35cf22fb859eb4e2deaf/time100-next-sam-kerr.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 28, 2022 # Sam Kerr by Abby Wambach  Naomi Baker—The FA/Getty Images Naomi Baker—The FA/Getty ImagesNaomi Baker—The FA/Getty Images The world knows [Sam Kerr](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/teams/profile/sam-kerr "undefined") as legendary because of what she does on the pitch. She started playing for the Australian women’s national team at 15, has captained them since 2019, and is their all-time leading scorer. She’s the only female football player to win the Golden Boot in three different leagues on three continents. She recently signed one of the [largest women’s soccer contracts of all time with Chelsea](https://theathletic.com/news/sam-kerr-extends-chelsea-contract-until-2024/VxBLdml6bb6L/ "undefined"). This kid scores goals and wins games. But I know Sam as a legend because of who she is off the pitch. At press conferences, Sam allows her play to speak for itself. She leads not through bravado about her own skill, but by directing the spotlight to her teammates, celebrating their unique skills and effort. And they rise to the level that Sam sees in them. That’s a leader. That’s a legend. The world will certainly see Sam crush it on the pitch and celebrate her teammates off of it at the [2023 World Cup](https://time.com/athlete-of-the-year-2019-us-womens-soccer-team/ "undefined"). Prepare to fall in love with the Matildas and their leader. _Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medalist_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6214002/sam-kerr/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6214002/sam-kerr/"},"headline":"2022 TIME100 Next: Sam Kerr","datePublished":"2022-09-28T09:56:39.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:06:36.297Z","description":"Find out how Sam Kerr is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6214002/sam-kerr/","keywords":["TIME 100 Next","sponsorshipblock","time100nextinnovators2022"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf01cfcf5eb7ef10/698a35cf22fb859eb4e2deaf/time100-next-sam-kerr.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf01cfcf5eb7ef10/698a35cf22fb859eb4e2deaf/time100-next-sam-kerr.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6214002/sam-kerr/","name":"2022 TIME100 Next: Sam Kerr"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME100 Next Montage","description":"This is the 2022 TIME100 Next","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Evi3gzPT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2022-09-28T10:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Evi3gzPT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6214002/sam-kerr/","duration":"PT1M34S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6214002/sam-kerr/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```