In 2019, Michelle Heyman announced she was retiring from the Matildas. That wasn't the full story.

Australia was swept up in football fever in 2023, with the Matildas reaching superstar status as they placed fourth in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Katrina Gorry, Mackenzie Arnold and Alanna Kennedy were just a few of the incredible athletes we loved. And we couldn’t wait to cheer them all on at the Paris Olympics.

But when Kerr suffered an ACL injury, the Matildas were left without a striker. Enter Michelle Heyman. 

Newer football fans might not have been familiar with Heyman, though long-time Australian football fans were all too aware of how skilled this player was.

Heyman joined the Matildas in 2010, after playing for teams including Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners in the W-League. She played 61 games and scored 20 goals for the Matildas, which included appearances at the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Five years ago, she retired from international football. Yesterday, she scored the game-winning goal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, in the 90th minute of a nail-biting match against Zambia.

Michelle Heyman celebrates her game-winning goal in Paris. Image: Getty.

"I really can't, some days I can't believe it, I don't know how many minutes I will play in this tournament, but I love this game and I do it for my country and my family and for Christine (my partner)," Heyman told Nine reporter Alex Cullen after the game.

"The love keeps me going and I am proud to be part of it. We try our hardest to bring something home, we knew we could do it, we knew they would get tired which is why I was happy to come on with fresh legs and enjoy the game," she added.

"We were giving it our all and we never gave up."

The moment means a lot to Heyman, who retired from the Matildas and international football in 2019. She also took a one year break from the A-League for the 2019-20 season.

The Matildas in 2019 were a very different team to what we see on the pitch now. The pay was low, funding was minimal and there was a toxic team culture that led to coach Alen Stajcic being sacked in early 2019. 

Heyman was struggling, both physically and mentally.

"I really wanted to fight… but my body isn't going to allow me to do that. My mind isn't going to allow me to do that," Heyman told Fox Sports while announcing her retirement.

She later revealed that she retired from international football to save face, after already being cut from the team.

"I had to just pretend that I wanted to retire but it was mainly because I got fired," she told Code Sports.

Heyman stepped in when Kerr was injured. Image: Getty.

Heyman, now 36, returned to the Tillies at the behest of coach Tony Gustavsson. She came back to the team for the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament for two matches against Uzbekistan.

"She's in tremendous form, she's scoring for fun," Gustavsson said in February, citing her impressive record.

"There's always some haters thinking I'm too old to be back," Heyman told the BBC of her comeback, ahead of the Olympics. 

"But it's kind of fun to prove points to people... age is just a number."

Keen to know more? Here's everything you need to know about Michelle Heyman.

Who is Michelle Heyman?

Michelle Heyman is an Australian football player with an impressive record of scoring goals in the A-League and international football competitions.

Heyman got her start early, playing for the Warilla Wanderers at the age of 11. She went on to play for Port Kembla FC, Shellharbour City and the Illawarra Stingrays.

She made her A-League Women's debut in the first domestic season in 2008, playing for Sydney FC.

After minimal game time in Sydney, Heyman moved north to the Central Coast Mariners for the second W-League season.

In 2009, Heyman won the Golden Boot award for most goals scored during the League season, along with the Julie Dolan Medal as the 2009 W-League player of the year. 

In 2010, Heyman moved to Canberra United. She remained on the team until 2018, when she signed a contract with Adelaide United in 2019.

In a significant moment, Heyman was the only openly lesbian Australian athlete at the 2016 Olympics. 

Why did Michelle Heyman retire? 

Her career had been the stuff of legends, but in 2019 Heyman retired from the Matildas and international football. She also took a one year break from the A-League for the 2019-20 season.

Heyman later revealed that she retired from international football "because I got fired".

Why did Michelle Heyman return to the Matildas?

In the 2020-21 season, Heyman returned to the A-League with Canberra United.

"If you were to ask me a year ago if this was something that could happen, to be honest, this comeback was something I didn't think was going to happen," Heyman said at the time.

"Now that I've had a year off with no football, I feel better than ever — both mentally and physically strong and I have found the love of the game again."

"I missed being part of something bigger than myself," she said. And she was back in a big way. 

In 2021, Heyman once again won the Julie Dolan Medal as player of the year, more than a decade after she first won the award. 

In January 2024, she became the first W-League player to score 100 league goals.

With her impressive soccer skills, Heyman was the obvious choice when Kerr was ruled out of the Olympics. 

"Heyman has played herself into this team, the way she plays, she's in tremendous form. She is scoring for fun," coach Gustavsson said.

"The way Michelle played she deserves to be selected, it's purely performance," he said. "I've said that a lot of times throughout these three years that for me, it's not about age in a Matilda. It's about the quality you have as a footballer, whether you're 17, or 35, doesn't matter if you have the quality, you deserve to be selected."

Michelle Heyman and her partner, Christine Aldridge. Image: Instagram.

Who is Michelle Heyman's partner?

Heyman is currently being cheered on at the Olympics by her long-term partner Christine Aldridge. The couple first met in 2019.

Christine is an actor, comedian, and pilates teacher.

"My girl is a two-time Olympian and watching her live her dreams with absolute poise and grace ignites my soul. You are the classiest act," Christine wrote on Instagram.

The sweetest!

Watch the Olympics on Stan Sport, the only place to watch every event ad-free with 4K and international multi-language channels. Go to Stan.com.au/Olympics for more info.

Listen to this episode of Mamamia Out Loud, where Holly, Mia and Jessie recap of some of the weirder side of the Olympic games. 

Feature Image: Getty.