Ellyse Perry: The ex-pro football star who became the greatest in women's cricket

Becoming one of the best players to ever feature in their respective sport is something almost every athlete dreams of. But for Ellyse Perry, it is her reality.

Not only is the Australian heavily regarded as the best women’s cricket player in history, but she also made waves as a footballer.

Perry made both her football and cricket debuts in 2007 and is the only Australian in history to appear in both ICC and FIFA World Cups.

The remarkable thing about Perry is her twin sporting career. For almost a decade, the Aussie phenomenon played both sports, before she was forced to choose just one to pursue full-time.

The majority of Perry’s success has come from the cricket field, but she has much to celebrate as a former footballer too.

Perry made her debut for the Australian national team just two weeks after playing her first international cricket match. At 16 years of age, she had already written her name in history.

The Australian needed just two minutes to score her first international goal — contributing to a huge 8-1 win over Hong Kong in an Olympic qualifying match.

Despite primarily playing as a defender, Perry was partial to a goal on both the domestic and international stage.

She joined her first club, the Central Club Mariners, in 2008, before signing to Canberra United where she won the club’s Player of the Year award and was named W-League Young Player of the Year in 2009

The rising star also won the W-League title with Canberra in 2012, before leaving the capital for her next club.

Perry then enjoyed a four-year stint at Sydney FC, where she played alongside the likes of now-Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr and England international Jodie Taylor.

As well as her individual accolades and W-League title, Perry took part