England boss Sarina Wiegman explained hiding gender just like Australia star Sam Kerr

Women's football has enjoyed stunning growth in recent years, with Wiegman playing a key role when it comes to the England national team.

The 53-year-old is a national hero after helping the Lionesses win the European Championships last summer. Win the World Cup, and her stock will only soar.

As for Kerr, the Australia star recently revealed that she pretended to be a boy as a youngster in order to play football.

"I knew I'd be the only girl on the team but that didn't worry me at all," stated the Chelsea star.

"I didn't want them to treat me any differently just because I was a girl.

"I remember one of the boys crying when he found out."

She added: "As good as I was out on the field, and as much as I loved playing the game, the physical differences between the guys and me eventually became too pronounced and the play was too rough.

"One day, I came home from a game with yet another black eye and bloody lip, and that's when my dad and brother both said, 'Nup, this isn't happening anymore'.

"I was getting battered around so much out on the field that it was getting to be a big problem.

"Dad and my coach both sat me down then and said it was getting far too dangerous for me to continue to play.

"They said they were sorry, but that I wasn't allowed to play football any more.

"I understood the reasons why, but I was heartbroken.

"Back then, there were no girls' teams in my area for me to join, and to know that I'd never play a sport that I loved so much ever again was devastating."

And Wiegman previously revealed that she'd done the same, admitting it seems 'crazy' that girls couldn't play the sport before.

"When I started playing football as a six-year-old girl we weren't allowed to play, so I played illegally," she said before the tournament.

"I had very short hair, looked a little bit maybe like a boy, my parents were really OK and I had a twin brother, so we just started to play and everyone said that's OK.

"It wasn't normal then and now it's just normal, whether you're a boy or a girl, you can play football and that's just great.

"It was actually crazy before, that you couldn't, but that's just the way it is in development I guess."

Now, Wiegman is just 24 hours away from taking England to a second final in as many attempts.

The Lionesses won plaudits around the world for winning the Euros 12 months ago.

And claiming World Cup glory would further etch Wiegman's name into footballing folklore.

The 53-year-old has also admitted she'd love the country to be given a bank holiday if England are to go all the way.

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"Yes, I can see all the English here want it!" she said.

"I’m focusing on football and the game tomorrow, let’s do everything to win to win the game tomorrow.”