Amy Sayer eager to represent Matildas at Asian Cup after long-term knee injury

Amy Sayer knows firsthand the gruelling mental and physical load that comes with rehabilitating a serious knee injury.

The Matildas midfielder missed a year of football after suffering an ACL injury in April 2024, which robbed her of a berth at the Olympic Games.

“My mum flew over to Sweden (where Sayer plays club football), and she had to lift my leg out of bed to be able to let me get up and do the exercises that I needed to even be able to walk again,” Sayer said.

“That’s something that not a lot of people know. It’s quite a lot of mental exertion that you need alongside the physical aspect.

The disappointment of missing the 2024 Olympics followed on the heels of not being selected for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The long road back

Sayer was named in the initial 29-player squad, but did not make the final 23-player cut, although she did train with the squad.

Despite missing two major tournaments, and with the Women’s Asian Cup on the horizon, Sayer refused to look too far ahead in her rehab.

“I think I’m quite good at compartmentalising or even just moving forward with a certain amount of perseverance and resilience,” she said.

“Pretty quick after I received the news that I had torn my ACL, my next focus was immediately, ‘OK, I have to have surgery’, and then it was, ‘how am I going to walk again?’

“I was just able to take those chunks of time and conquer them, and I think that’s maybe my strength as an individual.”

An inspiration to others

Sayer looked on track for a meteoric rise after debuting for the Matildas as a 16-year old, but eight years on, she is yet to play at a major tournament for her country, and has just 19 caps for Australia.

That is not lost on the 24-year old, who considers herself one of the more inexperienced members of the squad despite almost a decade in the fold.

“The Asian Cup is kind of my World Cup,” Sayer said.

“To play on home soil, to be in front of Australian fans, and to hopefully finally get the chance to show myself off as a player, and probably as a person too, in a more consistent manner than what I’ve been able to in the past.

“It hasn’t really been until this past year, coming back from my injury, that I’ve had more consistent minutes and consistent appearance in the set-up.

“I don’t take that for granted, and I’m really hoping that I’m able to show everything that I can do on what I think is now my world stage at the moment.”

Sayer’s return from injury has become an inspiration for Matildas fans.

“To be able to inspire in that way, especially in women’s sport, but to inspire as athletes for people who are going through everyday struggles, whether it’s personal, financial, or any other way. I think we share a lot of that,” she said.

“To show our characteristics and personality traits that help us perform so well on the field, and show them in a way that helps people in their everyday life, I think, is a really special opportunity for us.”

Life away from soccer

While Sayer is known for her football, from playing for Swedish club Malmö FF to the Matildas, she also excels off the field.

Sayer scored an almost perfect ATAR score and attended Stanford University in the United States, where she completed a degree in human biology and philosophy.

As her football career continues to take off, Sayer has retained perspective.

“I’m pursuing my master’s in bioethics at Sydney Uni at the moment, just to keep getting my tertiary qualifications and to be able to set myself up for life after football,” Sayer said.

“It is difficult. Football is a full-time job. It’s not just the two hours that you’re on the field, it’s the 24 hours in the lead-up to it, in your eating, preparation, recovery, all of that.

“The last time I was out of school was before kindergarten, so I’m used to it now, and I think I’ve honed my time management skills, and I know that it’s only to benefit me in the future.”

For now, though, her focus is on the Asian Cup and helping the Matildas deliver their first silverware in 16 years.

Australia kicks off its Asian Cup campaign against the Philippines in Perth on Sunday.