How a Retired Australian Striker Made an Olympic Comeback

Five years ago, Australian striker Michelle Heyman ended her international football career with barely a fanfare.

However, on Thursday this week, the 36-year-old player will return to the Australian national team, this is a memorable event, marking important milestones in Australian sports.

Following a record-breaking season in the domestic football league, where she became the first A-League Women (ALW) player to surpass 100 goals, Heyman attracted the attention of a Matildas coach eager to fill the gap left by an injured Sam Kerr.

But not only has Heyman returned to the squad, she is now considered Australia’s best chance to score in France.

“There are always some critics who think I’m too old to make a comeback trang cá cược bóng đá,” she told the BBC before the tournament.

“But it’s quite satisfying to prove people wrong… age is just a number.”

Exhausted, injured, and ultimately dismissed

Just as her comeback to the squad in 2024, it was an outstanding display in the A-League – Australia’s premier football competition – that propelled a 21-year-old Heyman into the national team in 2010.

Heyman’s international career saw her participate in 61 matches for the Matildas, netting 20 goals. Her performances included notable appearances at the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, her early years on the international stage were characterized by persistent challenges and adversity.

During that period, the Matildas endured poor compensation and operated under relentless fear and stress. The team’s environment was reportedly so toxic that it led to the dismissal of coach Alen Stajcic in early 2019.

However, if support from officials was lacking, public backing was even scarcer. Many Matildas games were closed to spectators because the cost of hosting them would exceed the revenue from ticket sales.

Additionally, Heyman faced struggles with both her physical and mental health. In interviews, she discussed experiencing anxiety and frequent panic attacks, which were exacerbated by consecutive ankle and knee injuries.

By May 2019, Heyman was worn out, injured, and overwhelmed with stress.

Her starting position on the team was a distant memory, and she hadn’t played a single minute in six months.

“I truly wanted to keep fighting… but my body won’t let me. My mind won’t let me,” Heyman told Fox Sports when she announced her retirement from international football.

She had accomplished everything she aimed for, except for winning an Olympic gold medal, she said.

Years later, she would confess that she was trying to save face, revealing to Australian media that she was actually dropped from the team.

I had to feign a desire to retire, but the real reason was that I got let go,” she confided to Code Sports.

Heyman was devastated to the point that she left the A-League, making it appear as though the final chapter of her illustrious career had been penned.

A remarkable tale of recovery in Australian sport

Just 18 months later, a revitalized Heyman made a stunning comeback to the A-League, scoring a hat-trick in her debut match back with Canberra United.

I longed to be part of something greater than myself,” she reflected at the time

Since then, she has surpassed Kerr as the top goal scorer in the ALW and has become the first player to secure a third Golden Boot award. With these accolades and her two Julie Dolan medals—the league’s highest honor—she is arguably the most decorated player in the competition’s history.

When the time for Olympic selection arrived, Heyman was poised and at the pinnacle of her performance.

She’s in outstanding shape, effortlessly finding the net,’ head coach Tony Gustavsson remarked in February as he brought her back into the squad.

The announcement sent ripples across the nation. According to Sydney Morning Herald football journalist Vince Rugari, ‘This could quietly become one of the most remarkable comeback stories in recent Australian sports history.

Did I ever think it would happen again? Probably not,” Heyman says with a grin.

“To this day, I remember it vividly—tears everywhere. And I’m not one to cry!”

The emotional impact is intensified by the fact that the country she’s now representing is almost unrecognizable compared to the one she played for just five years ago.

According to experts, the Matildas are currently the most popular sporting team in Australia, enjoying greater recognition and favor than even the Australian men’s cricket team.

Players have become household names, with every home game since the World Cup selling out, and they now hold the record for the most-watched television event in Australian history.

It’s difficult to align that with Heyman’s debut on some obscure field in Queensland.

I’d say there were about 12 people at the game, at best,” she recalls.

And now, seeing 77,000 fans cheering us on at our last game, it’s the feeling I’ve longed for over the years. It’s something I never imagined would happen in Australia.

“That sense of awe and bittersweet joy has also resonated with former Matildas,” she says.

“I will represent former players and senior players, we will play football with 100% of our ability. I want to show them, ‘look at what we’ve all built.’

Does that, along with the looming presence of Kerr, the nation’s most celebrated sports figure, increase the pressure to perform in France?

Heyman responds with a firm no.

She and Kerr are ‘very different’ forwards, but both are capable of delivering results, she says. In just a few months back with the team, she has already netted six goals, double the tally of any of her teammates in the same timeframe.

I doubt anyone recalls the numerous goals I’ve scored for Australia, as they were made back in the days when no one paid attention,” she says with a laugh.

[But] I’m skilled at what I do, and I’ll keep putting in the effort to win games.

Hard work will undoubtedly be necessary. The Matildas have been placed in a challenging group, facing the formidable USA team, the Rio 2016 gold medalists Germany, and Zambia, all vying for the two guaranteed spots in the next round.

The team has also been plagued by injuries. Besides Kerr, co-captain Steph Catley and key winger Caitlin Foord have both been dealing with issues over the past month. Additionally, midfielder Katrina Gorry and defender Clare Hunt have only recently returned from injury.

Despite their World Cup campaign, where Kerr spent most of her time on the bench, pundits argue that the team often struggles to perform without her.

So, what does Heyman have to say to those who have already dismissed the Matildas? “With a lot of support such as direction from commentators, coordination from players in the squad, and investments from sponsors, it will help us play better. “And we’re doing this for you – we’re playing to win for our country.”