Hayley Raso’s high school coach reveals the one thing she did better than any other player he coached over 45 years: ‘She was astonishing’

Matildas star Hayley Raso is now a household name thanks to her World Cup heroics against Canada – but even as a teenager she caught the eye like few other athletes.

Former Emmanuel College director of sport David Weir couldn’t believe what he was seeing when the ‘astonishing’ midfielder was a student at the prestigious school at Carrara on the Gold Coast back in 2012.

‘She is the most talented female footballer we have ever had come through the school, without a doubt,’ Weir told News Corp.

‘I rated her as the person with the fastest acceleration of any student I’d ever taught in 45 years.

‘Her 20-metre speed was astonishing. She was humble, tenacious on the field, incredibly skilled and was fast.

A teenage Hayley Raso contests possession with current Matildas teammate Steph Catley during a W-League clash between Canberra United and Melbourne Victory in 2012

‘She was also an extremely good touch football player, but she ultimately chose football.’

Raso attended Emmanuel College on scholarship and was playing in the W-League for Canberra United when juggling her HSC studies.

Now on the books of Real Madrid, the midfielder has also overcome a significant injury to be the footballer plenty are currently raving about.

In 2018, Raso broke three vertebrae in her back while playing for Portland Thorns in the US National Women’s Soccer League and faced an uncertain future.

At one stage she questioned whether she would ever be able to walk again, let alone play international football.

Raso, 28, will again be a key figure when the Matildas take on Denmark in the World Cup round of 16 on August 7 in Sydney

After what would have seemed an eternity, a neurosurgeon delivered the news Raso craved.

‘They came in and said: ‘You will recover from this, it’s going to be hard, but you will play again,’ Raso recalled.

‘In that moment I felt such relief because I had all these things in my head that I thought I was going to have to go through.’

Raso will again be a key figure when the Matildas take on Denmark in the round of 16 at the World Cup.

Kick-off is 8.30pm on August 7 at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.