Mary Fowler, a star player for the Matildas, has opened up about how her romance with Nathan Cleary blossomed amidst the excitement of the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

The 22-year-old from Cairns experienced a surge in popularity during the tournament, though she admitted that the spotlight on her personal and professional life was quite intense.

Before the World Cup, Fowler’s Instagram following was a modest 40,000, but it has since skyrocketed to 460,000. Her newfound fame has also led to her likeness being immortalized as a Barbie doll, and she made history as the first footballer to walk the runway at Paris Fashion Week.

Fowler played a pivotal role in her home World Cup, helping guide Australia to the semi-finals. She notably scored during a tense penalty shootout against France in the quarter-finals.

However, the Matildas’ journey ended with a 3-1 loss to England in the semi-finals, which was watched by more Australians than any other televised event in the country’s history.

Matildas superstar Mary Fowler has lifted the lid on how she and her boyfriend Nathan Cleary began dating during the 2023 Women’s World Cup 

The 22-year-old footballer rose to stardom during the World Cup and said she felt overwhelmed by the attention on her and her relationship with Cleary after the tournament

“But beyond the pressure, it was a thrilling time,” Fowler shared, reflecting on the whirlwind experience.

‘We met up quite a few times during, and I don’t think we really thought about it ever getting out,’ she added on Cleary.

The Australian forward has been open about her relationship with the Penrith Panthers star in the past, with Fowler having revealed that she and Cleary bonded by sharing long and deep conversations.

But news of their relationship wasn’t revealed until after the tournament.

‘I think we’re both really grateful that it came out after.’

‘Nathan has a bit more experience with being in the media.’

‘I had never really had that. The growth I had from the World Cup was already one thing I was trying to get used to.

‘Then adding all the talk about our relationship… it was a lot.

Fowler opened up on her life and relationship with Cleary during an open and honest chat with Stellar Magazine 

It comes as the Manchester City star is set to release a memoir entitled Bloom this week 

Cleary managed to catch up with Fowler after Australia’s victory against England at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool last month

‘The introvert in me was screaming. But it was really nice to be able to speak about that with him, and accept that that’s just how it is.

‘We either deal with it or we don’t. We both decided we would rather not let other people’s opinions have any effect on how we feel about each other.’

While she and Cleary live 16,000km away from each other, they still find time in their busy schedules to catch up.

With the Kangaroos having spent the last month in the UK for their tour of England, Fowler and Cleary managed to find some time to catch up, after Australia’s victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.

Fowler made the short trip over from Manchester to watch Cleary play and the couple managed to spend some time together after the game.

They now regularly share snaps of each other on Instagram, with Fowler last year publishing a photograph of herself wearing a Penrith Panthers jersey in support of her boyfriend.

‘I’ve become a lot more comfortable with expressing my love and just being a lot more present with him, and with others, when people are watching,’ she said.

‘Something I really appreciate in our relationship is that – although we’re both professional athletes – most of our talk about sport is the mental side. Nathan has been so helpful with that.

Fowler has previously revealed that she and cleary first met at an Adidas event back in 2023

Fowler has been sidelined for most of the year after she suffered an ACL injury in April

‘He is almost like a role model for me. I draw inspiration from what he does, because we are both such different athletes.’

In the past, the footballer revealed that she and her NRL star boyfriend first met after being invited to an Adidas store opening.

She explained that she only really wanted to go to the event to speak to Cleary.

And the rest is history.

It’s been a difficult year for Fowler who has been sidelined with an ACL injury during Manchester City’s Women’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Manchester United in April.

She underwent surgery on the injury and won’t return to the football field until next year.

However, the footballer, who is set to release a memoir entitled Bloom on Tuesday, explained that Cleary has been pivotal in helping her bounce back after her injury.

‘I can’t say it’s been the worst thing in the world for me. Because I’m someone who really enjoys life outside of football,’ she said.

‘There is more to life than football. And it hasn’t taken me this injury to realise that. I already know that.’