Sam Kerr's 'heart attack' prank video gets some fans offside

Kerr is currently injured, still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January that has also ruled her out of the upcoming Paris Olympics with the Matildas.

But at club level in England, Kerr has continued to draw plenty of headlines, with speculation she might leave Chelsea after nearly five years at the London soccer giants.

Off contract this year, Kerr played up to the doubts about her Chelsea future with a cryptic video shared by the star striker and the Blues' official social media accounts, heavily hinting that she would be departing.

"I didn't know how to have this conversation with you guys, but I think it's just best saying it," a sombre Kerr said in the first video.

"After four years it's really hard to sum up how I feel. My time at Chelsea has been unforgettable.

"I guess to the fans just remember that I'll always be Chelsea."

Less than half an hour later though, another post showed Kerr watching the first video and quipping: "Guys, what's all this? I'm not leaving."

The second social media post confirmed Kerr had re-signed a two-year extension with Chelsea until 2026.

"Did you guys really think I was going to end on 99 goals?" Kerr said, referencing her striking statistics since arriving at the club in 2019 where she's helped them win 11 domestic trophies.

Though the re-signing was welcome news for Chelsea fans, some were not impressed.

"Well that wasn't an enjoyable 20 minutes Sam," said one supporter.

"This was iconic but gave me a heart attack," added another among thousands of similarly shell-shocked replies.

After trolling the soccer world, Kerr said in an interview with Chelsea for the club's website that she was quite proud of the ruse, even using eye drops to produce fake tears.

"The people who knew me thought I was terrible [at acting during the video] but the average person fell for it," Kerr said.

"I had a bit of a say in it and with everyone expecting me to leave, it had to be done really.

"We did it line by line because every time I said something I started laughing after.

"I don't know if you can tell in the video, but we got eyedrops out and they really hurt my eyes, so it looked like I was crying a little bit.

"I was at training when it came out and it was too awkward watching it and I couldn't read the comments because I felt so bad.

"I know how it feels as a young fan when my favourite player would leave or retire, I'd nearly be in tears.

"It was awkward for me I guess for those 20 minutes [until the confirmation video came out] because I hate lying to the fans like that."

Chelsea fully embraced the signing announcement, even temporarily changing signage of the club's home ground Stamford Bridge to 'Samford Bridge' for the occasion.

At 30 years old, the new Chelsea deal comes at a pivotal time of Kerr's career, especially coming off an injury.

There's been pressure off the pitch too, with Kerr to face court next year after allegedly calling a police office a "stupid white bastard" during a taxi dispute in January 2023 - which she denies and has pleaded not guilty to charges of racially aggravated harassment.

Kerr was also recently been dragged into news headlines over her brother Daniel avoiding jail time in Western Australia for repeated domestic violence offences.

The Matildas superstar remains focused on continuing to excel in her soccer career despite the outside noise, with Chelsea considered her second "home".

"It's really exciting and a very proud moment for me," she said of re-signing with the club.

"Having the opportunity to stay at a club like Chelsea means a lot to me. I'm really excited to continue to push and to try to win trophies."

With Chelsea Kerr has won five WSL titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and a Community Shield.