Raso deal agreed

We are delighted to announce the signing of Hayley Raso, subject to international clearance and work permit.

The 29-year-old forward, who has made more than 250 senior career appearances and scored over 50 goals, has agreed a deal that will run until 2026 and will wear the number eight shirt.

Born in Gold Coast, Queensland, Hayley began her career at Canberra United in 2011 and made 17 appearances across two seasons at the Club in the A-League and was part of the squad that won the A-League title in the 2011/12 season before making the move to join Brisbane Roar in 2013.

After two years in Brisbane, featuring 24 times in that period, she left Australian football for the first time in her career to move to the United States, signing for Washington Spirit in 2015. A year later, Hayley returned to Australia for a season-long loan spell to Melbourne Victory before completing a move to NWSL side Portland Thorns in April 2016.

A versatile, fast-paced winger, she enjoyed a successful spell in Portland, securing the NWSL Championship and Shield while also being named as Rose City Riveters Most Valuable player in 2017. During her time in Portland, she also spent loan spells back in her country twice with Brisbane Roar either side of Canberra United in 2017/18.

In January, 2020, Hayley joined Barclays Women’s Super League side Everton where she helped them reach the Women’s FA Cup Final. After 18 months at the Merseyside outfit, Hayley then signed for Manchester City in August, 2021, and was part of the side that won the Women’s League Cup during the 2021/22 campaign, scoring nine goals in 29 appearances in her two-year spell.

In July, 2023, she joined Real Madrid and made history as the first-ever Australian to represent the Spanish side. Last term, the forward played 28 times in the Liga F for Las Blancas, scoring four goals, and featured in their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign.

On the international stage, Hayley earned her first senior cap in 2012 and has made 82 appearances for Australia to date, scoring 19 goals. She helped the Matildas lift the FFA Cup of Nations on two occasions (2013 and 2019) and also featured in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil, netting three goals during the competition as they reached the semi-final for the first time, while also playing in the last two Olympic games in Tokyo (2021) and Paris (2024).