There is an often-used saying: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’ And it’s that sentiment Sam Kerr wants Chelsea supporters to remember when she departs the club upon the expiry of her contract this summer.

Yet before that comes a final curtain call at Stamford Bridge, as Kerr will have the chance to bid farewell to Blues fans when we face Manchester United on Saturday in our final game of the Women’s Super League season.

It will be an emotional day for the Australian international, her team-mates and supporters alike. But Kerr knows that when she looks back on her time with Chelsea, only good memories will surface.

‘Obviously, there's a little bit of sadness,’ says Kerr on announcing her departure. ‘It’s leaving Chelsea, leaving the club where I've been for so long, leaving my teammates, leaving the fans.

‘But when I reflect on my Chelsea career and doing it for the last time, I just feel happy. Happy that it happened, and I feel so grateful to have played for this club for six years and won as many trophies as we could.

‘The only thing that comes to my mind is remembering all the happy moments, the fun moments, and just feeling really proud.’

Saturday’s farewell will also see Millie Bright mark her retirement from football after 12 years with Chelsea. Just like her team-mate and friend, Kerr wants to acknowledge their contribution to her storied career with the Blues.

‘The fans are the most important part, right?’ Kerr continues. ‘Without them, the games, the wins, the trophies, they aren't that special.

‘When you're playing for Chelsea, you have this fanbase behind that's like no other. I think back to the special moments that I remember at Kingsmeadow, at Wembley, at Stamford Bridge, all those games where we had a packed-out stadium with thousands and thousands of fans.

‘But then I remember walking down the street in Chelsea or Fulham when I'm getting a coffee, and people coming up to me, it just feels like a special club. I've been super proud to represent them, and hopefully it's just goodbye for now, and I'll be back, and they'll still support me wherever I go and wherever I play.’

For Kerr, her departure is faced with a positive mindset, in keeping with her character. She reflects on her incredible achievements and vows to savour those happy memories: the goals, the backflips, the celebrations.

‘Looking back now, I felt so young when I first came to the club,’ she says. ‘I think as a person, I've probably kept my same cheeky, fun self, which people will probably tell you if they talk about me.

‘Chelsea have done so much for me. I've had so many amazing people on my journey help me, and I've played every day with the best players in the world week in, week out. I've grown heaps as a player.

‘I couldn't have dreamed of all the stuff we've achieved together. Couldn't have believed the stuff I've achieved on a personal level. I just feel really lucky that I was here, and although I've changed as a player and a tiny bit as a person, I feel like I'm still the same person, just with a whole heap of memories from this amazing club.’

Although on the other side of the world from her native Australia, England’s capital has become Kerr’s home away from home following her arrival in 2020. Since then, she has found a partner, got married and had her son, Jagger, and there will be much she will miss upon her departure.

‘London's been my home for six-and-a-half years,’ the striker says. ‘I've made some incredible lifelong friends, not only within the football club but outside of it too. I think the people are probably what I'll miss most about everything here in London.

‘My teammates, my closest friends who have supported me, my coaches, the medical team, the security guards, the kitchen ladies, the groundsmen, the kitmen.

‘There are so many people who I could thank, and I think for me, the hardest to let go of will be not seeing the people who I work with every day and who have made my journey so special. And I think that's the thing about Chelsea that has made everything so special - the people.

‘You can go out and play for any football club, but I’ve been playing for people who help you every day, and I've had a lot of help. I can't take credit for anything I've done alone because people have always helped me.

‘I think for me, that's the hardest part. I'm going to miss the people. I'm going to miss the conversations. I'm going to miss winding people up. I'm going to miss having fun with all the great people who are at this football club.’

We’ll miss you too, Sam. But we won’t cry because it’s over, we’ll smile because it happened.