Alex Chidiac boasts an impressive international resume for a 23-year-old.
Football has taken the attacking midfielder from Adelaide to Spain, Japan and now Kentucky in the United States, signing with Racing Louisville FC for the 2022 season.
Chidiac has always wanted to travel the world playing football but admitted the US National Women's Soccer League was not on her agenda.
"I never thought that I would be able to play in it, just from my playing style," Chidiac told ABC Sport.
But Racing Louisville FC convinced her otherwise, prompting a quick move to the United States after her A-League Women grand final win with Melbourne Victory in March.
Chidiac made her debut with the Louisville side just three weeks into their regular season.
"So far I've been able to settle in really quickly and I think that's just to do with the culture at the club," she said.
International experience
It could also be on account of Chidiac's ability to adapt, spending two-and-a-half years earlier in her career as the first Australian woman to sign with Atlético Madrid.
"I had to learn a language, had to learn a new style of play. I played with probably some of the best players in the world, which was quite insane," she said.
Arguably, she is now among them, but that did not stop the nerves, before her debut match in the US league.
"My last season game was in March… so it's been a little bit of time since playing, but I just kind of went in with the mindset, just give it everything you've got and try and learn as much from that experience," she said.
Stories from the sideline
Chidiac has a passion for sharing what she's learnt travelling the world, but also the stories of people she's met through the international game.
"I kind of had a bit of a moment when I was in Spain feeling really disconnected from my community, I couldn't really connect other than through football," she said.
That prompted Chidiac to start her own podcast, to tell what she described as the "untold stories to do with football".
"Not just professional football, [but] for other people that just have such a close connection with the game, what brings them that sense of community," she added.
Moving the Goalposts
Her philanthropy does not end there, with the 23-year-old committing one per cent of her annual salary to young female footballers in Kenya through an organisation known as Moving the Goalposts.
"A lot of things are male-dominated over in Kenya and they're trying to empower women to be able to be leaders in their community. They can have a career, they can do things outside their cultural norms," she said.
Growing up, Chidiac did not have role models like herself who now exist for young female athletes wanting to make a career out of their chosen sport.
Her goal beyond 2022 is to return home and play for the Matildas in next year's World Cup in Australia.
"When I was growing up I didn't even know that the Matildas existed. [Now] this is going to be front and centre for a lot of young footballers," she said.
"I think having [the World Cup] within Australia is going to change a lot of people's perspectives and it's going to inspire a whole generation of people."
