As one of the host countries for the Women's World Cup in July, there will be lots of expectation and pressure on Australia's Matildas to have a strong performance in front of their own fans.
Luckily for the Matildas, they seem to be hitting form at the right time, having only lost one of their last nine matches, and taking the scalps of Spain and — more impressively — England in 2023.
Whilst the team is led by arguably the best player in the world, Sam Kerr, there is also an assortment of young talent that have been key cogs in the machine created by coach Tony Gustavsson.
One such player is full back Charli Grant. Having made her international bow in 2021, she cemented herself in the starting side in the back end of 2022 and has been one of the more impressive players in a resurgent Matildas team.
MORE: Australia vs England live blog
Charli Grant early career
Charlotte 'Charli' Grant was born on 20 September 2001 in Adelaide. Choosing to play football due to it being the only sport offered at her school, she played at various clubs in South Australia, before signing her first contract with local A-League Women's side Adelaide United at the age of just 17.
She spent three seasons at the Reds, making a total of 34 appearances in that time. Despite Grant putting in strong performances, Adelaide failed to make the finals in any of those seasons, though they did reach their then highest finish of 5th in 2020-21, missing the finals only on goal difference.
However, her form had gained the attention of clubs overseas, and it wasn't long before Grant was jetting off to Europe to ply her trade in Sweden.
Charli Grant club career in Sweden
In August 2021, Grant joined FC Rosengârd, joining fellow Australian goalkeeper Teegan Micah who was already at the club.
The side finished second the season before she joined, but were able to do one better and win the championship in 2021, a season where Grant played 13 times in all competitions.
She made a further 10 appearances for the club in 2022, but she struggled for regular game time and sometimes found herself missing out on selection altogether. This led to her moving to fellow Swedish club Vittsjö GIK on loan for the rest of the season.
Midweek round in #ObosDamallsvenskan and a first league goal for @_charli_grant plus an assist
— Teo Pellizzeri (@teopellizzeri) June 8, 2022
Mixed for @TheMatildas connections elsewhere as Courtney Nevin misses a penalty in a 1-0 Hammarby win, while Clare Polkinghorne and Katrina Gorry start in a 0-2 loss for Vittsjo pic.twitter.com/mGKQpSTNeg
She slotted straight into the team, making 10 more appearances; she returned to the club for the 2023 season and has played a key role in the starting side, playing alongside Australian teammates Claire Polkinghorne and Katrina Gorry.
Charli Grant Matildas debut
Having represented Australia at youth level, Charli Grant was first bought into the fold for the Matildas in 2021, where she was on the bench for various friendly matches, as well as being part of the squad that finished 4th at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
She made her international debut off the bench in a 3-2 loss to the Republic of Ireland in September 2021, with two more such appearances to follow against Brazil and the USA.
She was included in the squad that played in the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, making her first start in the final group match against Thailand, though the side were embarrassingly eliminated by South Korea in the quarterfinals.
The kids got game 👌
— CommBank Matildas (@TheMatildas) January 28, 2022
Four players made their starting debut this morning in #AUSvTHA!
Congratulations, Charli, Cortnee, Remy and Holly! #WeAreMatildas #WAC2022 pic.twitter.com/FYSmicCnZ4
She was then thrust into the starting side when incumbent right back Ellie Carpenter suffered a serious knee injury; it certainly was a baptism of fire for Grant as she was apart of an experimental Matildas side that were trounced 7-0 by Spain.
Gustavsson kept the faith in the young South Australian, though, and she started every game for the rest of the year. Despite two losses at home to Canada in September, the side rounded off the year with four wins in a row.
Cup of Nations win and goal against England
Grant continued to hold her role in the side for the 2023 Cup of Nations in February, which the Matildas won thanks to 4-0 and 3-0 wins over Czechia and Jamaica respectively, as well as an impressive 3-2 win over Spain.
Her best moment in Green and Gold was yet to come, as she scored her maiden international goal in a monumental away win for the Matildas against England.
With the side already leading 1-0 thanks to a first-half Kerr strike, Grant bombed forward from left back to head home a cross from Kerr midway through the second half that ultimately secured an upset 2-0 victory over the Euro 2022 champions.
.@TheMatildas double their lead against the @Lionesses ⚡️
— Liberty A-League (@aleaguewomen) April 11, 2023
Charlotte Grant with her FIRST EVER international goal 👏
Catch #ENGVAUS on @Channel10AU! pic.twitter.com/9HrstlcbhI
It was a fantastic moment not only for the Matildas, but for Grant, who has now staked her claim for a starting role at the Women's World Cup on home soil.
Coach Gustavsson was full of praise for Grant after the England clash, telling media, "that grit and commitment to always get one day better... I'm so happy for her. She represents a lot about what this team stands for."