Scotland midfielder Sam Kerr says she thought “someone was playing a prank” when first hearing of a potential move to Bayern Munich.
The 24-year-old agreed a three-year deal with the German champions following three years with Rangers, helping them to their first Scottish Women’s Premier League title in 2022.
Kerr, who is the current Scotland women’s player of the year, was sceptical as to whether Alexander Straus’ side were pursuing the ‘right’ Sam Kerr – and not the Australia superstar who leads the line for Chelsea.
“I was just relaxing in my room and my agent called saying: ‘Bayern Munich have came in for you’, and I said: ‘Are you sure they’ve got the right Sam Kerr?’ That’s the first thing I said to him!”
After her agent confirmed he was “100% sure” it was the Falkirk native they were interested in, Kerr began talks.
“I was just a bit like ‘this can’t be real, this is a joke, you’re kidding me’,” she said. “But I was like ‘of course I want to speak to them’.
“A week later, it was happening on Zoom and it was just unbelievable. It looked far too good to be true. I thought surely something is going to happen, someone must be playing a prank on me.”
Speaking on the Behind the Goals podcast, Kerr noted she had a few offers to consider, but Bayern was something she “had to do”.
“I visited some other places and when I was driving back I just thought, ‘why am I even contemplating this?’,” she said.
“So I phoned my agent and told him I was doing it. This is an opportunity I can’t refuse.”
The former Glasgow City player has Champions League experience under her belt already and will be joining a side who reached the quarter-finals last season.
“I’m in a team full of unbelievable world-class players who have the aim to win the Champions League,” added Kerr.
“To think that I could potentially be in a Champions League final blows my mind… I’m just a wee lassie from Falkirk!”
This week, Kerr will be in familiar surroundings as she joins up with the national team for their friendly double-header, starting against Northern Ireland on Friday, 14 July at Kilmac Stadium, live on BBC Scotland.
“I’ve not really processed it,” she said. “I saw FC Bayern on the SWNT squad list and I was just like, ‘what?’, I’m just Sam from Scotland who plays for Rangers, that’s how I see myself… It’s crazy.”
With 14 caps, Kerr has recently established herself as a Scotland regular, playing a pivotal role in midfield alongside Chelsea’s Erin Cuthbert and Real Madrid’s Caroline Weir.
“Earning respect from team-mates and coaches means the most to me,” she explained.
“In Scotland camps, if Rachel Corsie or Caroline Weir says ‘well done Sam’, that is better than achievements and awards for me.
“We’re at the stage now where we’re not just there to compete, we need to win games. The Nations League coming up is going to be really competitive.”
* You can hear more from Sam Kerr on the Behind the Goals podcast, which is released via BBC Sounds on Tuesday 11 July.
