Chelsea star Sam Kerr has reportedly extended her contract with Chelsea, per ata football.

On Thursday, ata football reported that Kerr has extended her contract through 2025. The striker’s contract was set to expire upon the conclusion of this season.

Her fiancé Kristie Mewis recently signed with West Ham, moving to the WSL after winning a NWSL championship with Gotham last year.

Kerr underwent surgery on Thursday to repair a ruptured ACL.

“I’m gutted for her and gutted for the team, these things happen in football and she knows that,” Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said. “The important thing is that we are here to support her and the recovery and rehab begins today. … Today is about letting Sam know that she’s with her Chelsea family and we’ll look after her.”

Hayes is set to depart Chelsea upon the conclusion of the WSL season for the USWNT.

Kerr has been with Chelsea since 2020, when she joined the club from the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars.

She’s appeared in 128 total games for Chelsea, including 75 WSL games, and scored 99 goals with the club. During that time, she’s been the WSL’s top goalscorer twice and won three league titles and FA Cups, as well as the FA Women’s League Cup.

Sam Kerr, superstar striker for Chelsea and the Australia women’s national soccer team, became the latest player to suffer an ACL injury, with her club making the announcement of the injury on Sunday.

Kerr sustained the injury during the team’s warm weather training camp in Morocco. She is expected to be sidelined “for an extended period,” the Australian national team announced, along with noting that she had ruptured her ACL – which was more than what Chelsea’s announcement had said. Kerr captains the Australian national team, which made it all the way to the semi-finals of last summer’s World Cup.

She has been ruled out of the remainder of the Women’s Super League season and Australia’s AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers Round 3 series in February. It’s also likely that she will miss this summer’s Olympics if the Matildas qualify.

“Considering how hard Sam has worked over the past six months to return to play, this news is a devastating blow for everyone,” Australia coach Tony Gustavsson said in a statement.

“With her ability to lead by example, Sam’s guidance and influence on the team is significant and, as a result, this will be an incredible loss for the national team. Our focus now is on ensuring she has all the support she wants and needs to navigate recovery and rehab.”

Since joining Chelsea in 2019, Kerr has scored 99 goals in 128 matches while helping the club to four WSL titles, three FA Cups, two Women’s League Cups and the Women’s Community Shield. She’s also won two WSL Golden Boots during that time frame and was runner-up for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.

She joins a long list of women’s soccer players to have suffered ACL injuries, which includes Chelsea teammate Catarina Macario. Macario, who ruptured her ACL in June of 2022, has yet to return to play.

Other WSL players to have ruptured their ACLs include Arsenal’s Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Vivianne Miedema, who all missed the World Cup. Canada forward Janine Beckie also missed the World Cup with an ACL injury. Since 2021, at least 87 players from eight of the world’s top women’s soccer leagues have torn ACLs, according to reporting from the Washington Post.

Kerr will be “assessed by a specialist” in the following days before beginning rehabilitation with Chelsea’s medical team.

Kristie Mewis took on a difficult position at the 2023 World Cup: attempting to win with the U.S. women’s national team while also cheering on her now-fiancée Sam Kerr, who plays for Australia.

In the new Netflix docuseries “Under Pressure,” which chronicles the USWNT’s World Cup run, Mewis showcases how she balanced the team’s devastating loss in the Round of 16 with her support of Kerr. Mewis’ first minutes in the World Cup came at the end of the team’s shootout loss to Sweden, and included her taking – and making – a penalty kick as her first shot at the tournament.

“One of the coaches came over to me and Kelley [O’Hara] and he was just like, ‘I hope you guys are preparing yourselves to take a penalty kick.’ And I was kind of like, what?” Mewis said, noting that she entered the game, “running around for maybe 30 seconds” before the final whistle blew.

Still, she felt more than ready for her penalty shot.

“I’ve never felt more confident in a moment,” she said. “I have been preparing for that moment my whole life. Every time I went out and trained, every time I kicked with my left foot, I was training for that one moment. Because that was the only moment that I was going to get in the World Cup.”

Yet despite Mewis’ successful kick, the USWNT lost the shootout, resulting in the team’s earliest exit ever in a World Cup.

Instead of going home with the rest of the team, Mewis stayed in Australia to cheer for Kerr and the Matildas. While Kerr had started the tournament sidelined with an injury, she played in Australia’s quarterfinal match with Mewis in the stands. And she made her own penalty kick in that match, which Australia won over France to advance to the semifinals.

“It didn’t end the way that we wanted it to. But also, Sweden deserved to win. They kept us from scoring and they did better with their penalties,” Mewis said, before noting that the decision to stay and support Kerr was an easy one.

“Yes, my dream of being at a World Cup and winning a World Cup is now over. But Sam’s in the quarterfinals,” she continued. “This is just so crazy, this is everything that she’s always wanted too. Everyone knows that the U.S. team went back home, but there’s no place I’d rather be. I’m so happy to be here and support her. Obviously it is a little bit hard, but I think I can separate it because I love her so much.”

Even still, that love has boundaries. Mewis refused to wear an Australia jersey to support Kerr, despite the rest of Kerr’s family and friends doing so.

“They’re like, ‘Where’s your jersey? Where’s your jersey?’” Mewis said. “And I like, cannot put on an Australian jersey.”

Gotham FC and USWNT midfielder Kristie Mewis is enjoying the offseason, spending part of it in London alongside her fiancée Sam Kerr, who plays for Chelsea.

On Sunday, Mewis vlogged one of her London days, which included going to a Women’s Super League game to cheer on Kerr and the Blues.

“Going to Sam’s games is literally like my favorite thing in the entire world,” Mewis said in the TikTok video.

Mewis’ day included going to get a coffee before the game at her “favorite cafe.” She ordered an iced coffee, as well as what she called “best ham and cheese I’ve ever had,” before hopping into a cab to go watch Kerr play.

Kerr made the trip worthwhile, scoring a goal in Chelsea’s 5-2 win over Leicester City. The two then went and got food before heading home for the day.

“I love to share my relationship on social media,” Mewis told told soccer lifestyle magazine Gaffer earlier this year. “So I think if we can change the way one or two people feel about themselves, they can look at us and see that we’re happy and we’re trying to be as successful as we can and we’re an out gay couple. I think that that’s so important.”

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Soccer power couple Kristie Mewis and Sam Kerr shared their engagement photos on social media Tuesday morning.

The two shared the pictures of the engagement, which took place on Sept. 1, according to the couple’s caption. That means that the duo kept it under wraps for roughly two months, as they did not announce their engagement until Nov. 10, though they had invited speculation since late September.

On Oct. 24, Mewis posted a collage on Instagram that featured one photo with her engagement ring facing the camera.

The couple broke the news in an exclusive for People Magazine just ahead of the NWSL Championship match, which Mewis won with Gotham FC. Mewis told People that Kerr has “just been everything” for her in 2023.

“My biggest supporter, always listening to me nag and complain all, all of my crazy antics,” Mewis said.

And while the long-distance relationship is hard at times, as Kerr plays for English club Chelsea, it helps that they play the same sport, they said.

“I think the thing that keeps us going is that we can see an end point. We both just want each other to do so well in our careers,” Kerr said. “I don’t think you could be in a long-distance relationship with someone who didn’t get the sport. She fully gets it and I get it. So we just support each other.”

Kristie Mewis is excited to see what Emma Hayes will bring to the U.S. women’s national team.

While Hayes has yet to be announced as the team’s next coach, her impending departure from Chelsea has been confirmed. U.S. Soccer’s board of directors also has reportedly approved the hire.

In her 12 seasons with Chelsea, Hayes has led the club to six Women’s Super League titles and five FA Cup titles — including the last four WSL titles and the last three FA Cup titles. Mewis’ fiancée Sam Kerr has played under Hayes at Chelsea since 2020.

“She’s an outstanding coach and she has led Chelsea to so many championships and so many wins, and she’s a world respected coach,” Mewis said. “I’m super excited to see what she can bring to the team. She’s exactly what we need and I really just think that she’s going to take the team to the next level.”

USWNT forward Tobin Heath agreed, calling the hiring of Hayes a “no-brainer.”

“When I saw this announcement I thought to myself: ‘Great choice. No-brainer,’” she said. “Did I think she was available? No. So then I instantly kind of became a little confused as to the timing of when she would come. But when I think about Emma Hayes and the impact she’s had on the women’s game, and the success that she’s had at Chelsea, she’s a winner.”

England boss Sarina Wiegman, meanwhile, called the move “good for the women’s game.”

“For the bigger picture of the women’s game, I think it’s good,” she said. “What you hope is that with her visibility and with more coaches that are visible, that you get more female coaches that can do a great job. And whatever level you coach, we need more women in football. It’s a little bit sad for England and Chelsea, but it’s also good for the women’s game in general.”

And as far as who will lead Chelsea next, Hayes has said she’ll have a hand in picking the team’s next coach. It’s important to her that there is a succession plan in place to ensure that the team continues to dominate after her departure in May 2024.

“The time is right,” she said. “I will work with the club in the succession plan and do everything I can to make sure there is as good of a transition as possible so my successor can have the same level of success as I can.

“I think it will be so Chelsea of us to succession-plan my exit, so of course I will be involved in those conversations. It’s important that we really take the time to evaluate what the best fit will be.”

U.S. women’s national team midfielder Kriste Mewis and Australian striker Sam Kerr have confirmed their engagement after weeks of speculation. 

On Oct. 24, Mewis posted a collage on Instagram that features many pictures of herself and Kerr — and one that clearly showed an engagement ring on her finger.

Weeks passed without any confirmation of an engagement from the soccer stars, but a People Magazine exclusive broke the news Friday morning. The announcement came just ahead of Saturday’s NWSL Championship, in which Mewis will compete with Gotham FC.

The couple began dating in 2020 but kept their relationship quiet until 2021, when they were photographed together at the Tokyo Olympics. They rooted for each other throughout the 2023 World Cup as well, and Mewis told People that Kerr is her “biggest supporter.”

Mewis knows that she hasn’t been subtle when it comes to sharing her relationship online, but that is a purposeful decision. She hopes that her relationship with Kerr can be an inspiration to others.

“I love to share my relationship on social media,” Mewis told told soccer lifestyle magazine Gaffer. “So I think if we can change the way one or two people feel about themselves, they can look at us and see that we’re happy and we’re trying to be as successful as we can and we’re an out gay couple. I think that that’s so important.”

Aitana Bonmatí won the 2023 Ballon d’Or after leading Spain to its first-ever Women’s World Cup title.

The 25-year-old midfielder took home the Golden Ball award at this summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand. She also won the 2022-23 player of the year awards from UEFA and the Champions League, and she won the Liga F, Champions League and Supercopa titles with FC Barcelona.

Her Barcelona teammate, 19-year-old forward Salma Paralluelo, finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting. So it came as no surprise that the Spanish club, which had six of the 30 total nominees, won Women’s Team of the Year.

Australia striker Sam Kerr finished as runner-up to Bonmatí. Sophia Smith, the reigning NWSL MVP and one U.S. player among the nominees, ranked 25th overall.

Bonmati’s win makes three in a row for Spain. Alexia Putellas won the 2021 and 2022 awards but missed most of the 2022-23 season with an ACL tear.

USWNT forward Megan Rapinoe won in 2019, while her teammate Alex Morgan placed third. No other USWNT players have finished in the top three since the Ballon d’Or Féminin first was awarded in 2018.

A number of prominent women’s players were unable to attend Monday’s ceremony in Paris, which was held during the FIFA women’s international window. Georgia Stanway, one of four England players nominated for the Ballon d’Or, called out the scheduling.

“It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t be there,” Stanway said. “We spoke about it as a group and said it would be nice in the future if the ceremony wasn’t on a matchday minus one day so we can all enjoy the experience. … If it was planned a little better, then it would be easier for a lot of female footballers to be there.”

U.S. women’s national team midfielder Kristie Mewis added fuel to the engagement rumors swirling around herself and Australia striker Sam Kerr.

In an Instagram post, Mewis featured a photo of herself holding a drink with her left hand, with a diamond ring prominently displayed on the third finger of her hand.

That photo led a collection of assorted snapshots, which Mewis captioned: “Some old and some new,” featuring Mewis in training, Gotham FC and USWNT teammates Kelley O’Hara and Lynn Williams, as well as Mewis and Kerr together. Kerr commented on the post with a heart emoji.

While neither Kerr nor Mewis have made any announcements about an engagement, eagle-eyed fans began to speculate after spotting the diamond ring on Mewis’ left hand in social media posts at the end of September.

The pair have been dating since 2020, but they did not go public with their relationship until they made headlines at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They supported each other throughout the 2023 World Cup, with Mewis attending the Matildas’ matches after the USWNT’s Round of 16 elimination.

“Thank you babe for always being my everything every step of the way and I’m so proud of you and thankful for you,” Mewis wrote to Kerr in an Instagram caption after the USWNT’s World Cup exit.

Alex Morgan is the most marketable athlete in women’s sports in 2023.

The U.S. women’s national team star also stands as the third-most marketable athlete in the world behind Lionel Messi and LeBron James, according to SportsPro’s new ranking, which assesses athletes’ personal brand and reach.

Fellow USWNT forward Megan Rapinoe (No. 5) joins Morgan in the top five. Skier Mikaela Shiffrin (No. 6) and gymnast Simone Biles (No. 8) also rank in the top 10. From the world of tennis, newly-minted US Open champion Coco Gauff sits at No. 12 and Naomi Osaka at No. 14.

LSU star Angel Reese (No. 19) is the lone women’s basketball player on the list. She catapulted to stardom after leading the Tigers to their first national title in program history in 2023.

In total, 23 women are included among SportsPro’s top 50 most marketable athletes for 2023. In the World Cup year, Morgan and Rapinoe both jumped up the list, with the former up from eighth place and the latter up from 27th.

Serena Williams, who has since retired, dropped off the list, while Osaka and Australian soccer star Sam Kerr dropped out of the top 10.

This year’s list “underlines the growing commercial influence and value of women’s sport,” according to SportsPro. For the first time, qualitative research was included with quantitative marketability measurements to help determine the final rankings.

“This year’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes list follows the most comprehensive assessment of athlete marketability we’ve ever undertaken in the 14-year history of SportsPro’s annual ranking,” said Michael Long, editorial director at SportsPro.