One of the most sought-after fullbacks in the world today, Matildas star Ellie Carpenter is the youngest-ever women’s footballer to play at the Olympics to date. She was just 16 years old when she made her Summer Games debut at Rio 2016.

Having been named in the Australian women’s football team for the Paris 2024 Olympics, the Aussie right-back, also the first Gen Z player to ever represent the Matildas, is in line to become a three-time Olympian even before she turns 25.

At the club level, Carpenter represents Olympique Lyon, one of the most successful clubs in women’s football, and helped the French outfit win the UEFA Women’s Champions League titles twice – in 2019-20 and 2021-22.

Where is Ellie Carpenter from

Ellie Carpenter was born on April 28, 2000, in Cowra, a small town in Australia’s New South Wales.

Born to Belinda and Scott, both physical education teachers, both Ellie and her elder brother Jeremy, were exposed to a wide range of sporting activities growing up and were fantastic athletes.

Both Carpenter siblings were highly accomplished in athletics, especially running events, before swapping the running spikes for football boots.

However, it wasn’t long before Ellie and Jeremy’s talents outgrew their small hometown, forcing the Carpenters to take regular eight-hour-long round trips to Sydney and Canberra to help the children compete in top-tier age group competitions.

Knowing the taxing commutes were not sustainable, Belinda and Scott made a huge life decision to support their children’s sporting ambitions.

While Scott stayed back in Cowra to financially support the family, Belinda relocated to Sydney with her two children. Ellie was just 12 at the time.

“Making that decision quite young – I was only 12, and I didn’t really know what I was stepping into – leaving my school, my friends, my family, my house,” Ellie told the Portland Timbers website in an interview. “Leaving dad was hard. Mom sacrificed a lot – left her job – to support me and my brother in Sydney, which was very nice of her to help us follow our dreams. It was a big move.”

Jeremy would go on to enjoy a successful football journey, which eventually took him to Japan and Portugal.

Ellie, meanwhile, rose through the ranks steeply. The Westfields Sports High School provided her with the facilities needed and before long, she made the Australian Under-17 and the Under-20 squads. She was just 14 when she made her U-17 debut.

She also joined the Western Sydney Wanderers in 2015 and was immediately a starter for the top division club under Norm Boardman. Ellie played 12 matches in her debut season in the W-League, which went on to become the A-League Women later on.

First Gen Z to make Matildas squad and youngest women’s football player at Olympics

Ellie’s performances for the Wanderers saw her being called up for a Matildas national camp in November 2015. She was fast-tracked into the senior Australian women’s national team and made her international debut on March 2, 2016, during a 9-0 win against Vietnam in the Rio 2016 Olympic AFC Qualifiers.

Just 15 at the time, Ellie Carpenter became the first Gen Z (born after 2000) player to play for the Matildas. There was no looking back from there.

Picked for the Rio 2016 Olympic Matildas squad, Ellie was the youngest member of the Australian contingent in Brazil.

Subsequently, she made her Olympic debut in the Matildas’ 6-1 win over Zimbabwe in their final group stage encounter on August 9.

Coming on as a 75th-minute substitute for Caitlin Foord, Ellie, barely past 16 then, also became the youngest female footballer to play a match at the Olympics.