Michelle Heyman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Michelle Heyman

Heyman playing for Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Michelle Pearl Heyman
Date of birth	(1988-07-04) 4 July 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Canberra United
Number	23
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2008	Illawarra Stingrays
2008–2009	Sydney FC	3	(0)
2009	Central Coast Mariners	11	(11)
2010–2018	Canberra United	91	(51)
2012	Brøndby IF
2015	Western New York Flash	9	(1)
2016–2018	Illawarra Stingrays	11	(5)
2018–2019	Adelaide United	12	(1)
2020–	Canberra United	87	(56)
International career‡
2010–	Australia	83	(33)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 July 2025

Michelle Pearl Heyman (born 4 July 1988) is an Australian soccer player and commentator. She plays as a striker for Canberra United FC in Australia's A-League.

Heyman became the all-time top goal scorer in the W-League (now A-League Women) in March 2021. She scored her 73rd goal, setting a new record. Michelle first played for the Matildas, Australia's national team, in 2010. She played in major tournaments like the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup, the 2015 FIFA World Cup, and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

She retired from international football in May 2019. However, she made a comeback in January 2024. This happened after an injury to fellow Matildas' striker Sam Kerr. Heyman has also played for other teams like Central Coast Mariners, Sydney FC, and Adelaide United. She also played for the Western New York Flash in the American National Women's Soccer League.

Michelle Heyman's Early Life

Michelle Pearl Heyman was born on 4 July 1988.

Playing for Clubs

Heyman playing for Canberra United in 2010

Heyman started playing soccer when she was 11 years old. Her first team was the Warilla Wanderers. She later played for Port Kembla FC and Shellharbour City. After that, she joined Illawarra Stingrays in the New South Wales Women's Super League. She has often returned to play for the Stingrays during breaks from the W-League season.

Starting with Sydney FC

Before the 2008–09 W-League season began, Heyman tried out for Sydney FC. Many players tried out, but only ten were chosen to join the club. Michelle was one of them.

Moving to Central Coast Mariners

Heyman later left Sydney FC to join the Central Coast Mariners. In her very first game for the Mariners, she scored two goals against her old team, Sydney FC.

In 2009, Heyman won the Golden Boot award for scoring the most goals in the league season. She also won the Julie Dolan Medal, which is given to the best player in the 2009 W-League.

Success with Canberra United

In 2010, Heyman signed with Canberra United. During the 2011–12 W-League season, she was the top goal-scorer in the league. That season, Canberra United won both the W-League premiership and the championship.

Heyman spent five months in 2012 playing in Denmark for Brøndby IF. She then returned to Canberra United in time for the 2012–13 W-League season.

On 9 July 2015, Heyman signed with the American team Western New York Flash. She played nine matches for them in the 2015 National Women's Soccer League season.

In 2016, she rejoined the Illawarra Stingrays. This was during the W-League off-season.

Leaving and Returning to Canberra

On 21 July 2018, it was announced that Heyman was leaving Canberra United. She had played for them for eight seasons. During her time there, she played 93 games and scored 56 goals. She won the Golden Boot award twice. She also helped Canberra win two Championship Titles and three Premierships.

On 24 August 2018, Adelaide United announced they had signed Heyman for one year. She played for them in the 2018–19 W-League Season. After that season, Heyman left Adelaide. She took a break from playing soccer to coach at a school in Sydney. Then, Heyman returned to the W-League, rejoining Canberra United.

On 13 January 2024, Heyman made history. She became the first A-League Women player to score 100 league goals. This happened when she scored in the 50th minute against Adelaide United. As of May 2025, she holds the record for most appearances in the A-League Women/W-League with 202 games. She also has the most goals scored, with 119.

Playing for Australia

Heyman played her first game for the national team, the Matildas, in 2010. She was part of the team that finished second in the 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup. Heyman played five matches for Australia at the 2015 FIFA World Cup. At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Heyman played four matches for the Australian team. They were knocked out in the quarter-finals.

Heyman was chosen for the Matildas squad for the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup. However, she did not play in any matches. Australia finished second to Japan and qualified for the 2019 FIFA World Cup. In May 2019, Heyman announced she was stepping away from international football. She later shared that she had faced challenges with injuries and her well-being.

In 2024, after an injury to Matildas' striker Sam Kerr, Heyman was called back to the team. This was for the third round of the 2024 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament. They played two matches against Uzbekistan. She scored in her first game back, opening the scoring in the 71st minute for a 3-0 win. In the second match, she scored 4 goals in the first half of a 10-0 victory. Australia then qualified for the Olympics.

On 4 June 2024, Heyman was named in the Matildas team for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This was her second time being selected for the Olympics. She scored the winning goal in the Matildas' second group stage match. This was a comeback 6–5 victory over Zambia.

Career Goals for Australia

Scores and results list Australia's score first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	3 September 2011	Jinan Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Jinan, China	Thailand	2–0	5–1	2012 Olympics qualification
2				3–0
3	13 September 2012	Carroll Stadium, Indianapolis, United States	Haiti	4–0	4–0	Friendly
4	13 June 2013	Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, Australia	New Zealand	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	5 March 2014	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus	Netherlands	2–2	2–2	2014 Cyprus Cup
6	10 March 2014	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus	Scotland	1–3	2–4	2014 Cyprus Cup
7				2–4
8	9 April 2014	Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, Brisbane, Australia	Brazil	2–1	2–1	Friendly
9	10 February 2015	Bill McKinlay Park, Auckland, New Zealand	North Korea	2–1	2–1	Friendly
10	12 February 2015	Bill McKinlay Park, Auckland, New Zealand	New Zealand	2–0	3–2	Friendly
11	11 March 2015	Paralimni Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus	Czech Republic	4–1	6–2	2015 Cyprus Cup
12	19 May 2015	Valentine Sports Park, Sydney, Australia	Vietnam	4–0	4–0	Friendly
13	21 May 2015	Jubilee Oval, Sydney, Australia	Vietnam	2–0	11–0	Friendly
14				6–0
15				8–0
16	29 February 2016	Kincho Stadium, Osaka, Japan	Japan	2–0	3–1	2016 Olympics qualifying
17	2 March 2016	Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan	Vietnam	8–0	9–0	2016 Olympics qualifying
18	7 March 2016	Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan	North Korea	1–0	2–1	2016 Olympics qualifying
19	9 August 2016	Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil	Zimbabwe	5–0	6–1	2016 Summer Olympics
20				6–0
21	24 February 2024	Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan	Uzbekistan	1–0	3–0	2024 Olympics qualifying
22	28 February 2024	Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia	Uzbekistan	2–0	10–0	2024 Olympics qualifying
23				3–0
24				4–0
25				8–0
26	31 May 2024	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia	China	1–1	1–1	Friendly
27	28 July 2024	Stade de Nice, Nice, France	Zambia	6–5	6–5	2024 Summer Olympics
28	7 December 2024	Kardinia Park, Geelong, Australia	Chinese Taipei	4–0	6–0	Friendly
29	23 February 2025	State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States	United States	2–1–	2–1	2025 SheBelieves Cup
30	2 June 2025	GIO Stadium, Canberra, Australia	Argentina	4–1	4–1	Friendly
31	29 June 2025	HBF Park, Perth, Australia	Slovenia	1–0	1–1	Friendly
32	8 July 2025		Panama	1–1	3–2
33				2–1

Awards and Achievements

Team Awards

• Australia
  • AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament: 2016
• Canberra United
  • W-League Premiership: 2011–12, 2013–14
  • W-League Championship: 2011–12, 2014

Individual Awards

• Julie Dolan Medal: 2009, 2021
• W-League Golden Boot: 2009, 2011–12

See also

In Spanish: Michelle Heyman para niños