This was published 7 months ago

Emily van Egmond does not enjoy talking about herself. Not in front of a bunch of cameras. Not even when she is about to become the most capped Australian footballer of all time. But here she is, at 32 and having dedicated half her life to the Matildas.

“Sixteen years, wow,” she told a room full of media in Perth on Monday. “That’s going back a bit.”

Emily van Egmond lets coach Joe Montemurro do the praising. Getty Images

Van Egmond was 16 years old when she debuted for the Matildas, as a late substitute against North Korea. That was 2010, just before Tom Sermanni’s national team won the 2010 Asian Cup. The midfielder wasn’t selected in that squad, but her 169 caps tell the story of many, many squad inclusions to come.

On Tuesday night, when the Matildas face China in the semi-final of the 2026 Asian Cup, van Egmond will run out for her 170th appearance.…