The 25-year-old joined the Blues in July 2023 midway through her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sustained at former club Lyon.

And it wasn't until March 2024 that Macario made her long-awaited comeback. Introduced as a late substitute against Leicester City, she made the perfect return by scoring six minutes into her Chelsea debut.

Macario gained further minutes as her first season at Chelsea came to a close – and she played her part in our title-winning Women’s Super League campaign.

But no recovery is linear, something Macario knows all too well. This summer she was ruled out of the Olympics due to a knee injury and this pre-season she put in the work to get back to full fitness.

Now match fit, the forward’s maiden appearance in the WSL this season came in our emphatic 7-0 win against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. In true Macario fashion, her first game led to a first goal, with the American scoring our last in the rout in south London.

‘It was a slow start for me last year,’ she said. ‘I’m thankful that I have been able to get back playing with the team again early on this season.

‘I hope I can finally show what I can bring to the team and to the club. I feel a lot better than going into this season which is a positive. Hopefully, that can translate to what I do on the pitch as well.

‘There’s still work to be done. I’ve not long rejoined the team in training, so it is still about finding my fitness, getting up to speed with my rhythm and working on the game model and how the team wants to play.

‘I just hope that I can be available and be able to make an impact in the big games we’ve got this season.’

There were clear signs during the latter stages of last season as to what Macario offers Chelsea. And with a full campaign hopefully ahead of her, what does she hope to bring to her team?

‘Hopefully, lots of goals and assists,’ Macario added. ‘I think just creativity. I’m someone who likes to play and I think a lot about going forward.

‘When I get the ball, I like to go forward and try and find my teammates in the best areas, but really I just want to contribute in whatever way I can.

‘Hopefully, I can bring a different perspective to the team and a different style. I just like to have fun on the pitch.’

Our forward feels well-placed to thrive this season, something helped by familiar faces now at the helm of the Blues, with Macario reuniting with former Lyon head coach Sonia Bompastor and assistants Camille Abily and Theo Rivrin.

'It definitely helps,’ Macario said. ‘I love that they know me and in that sense, they can push me to help me get to the level that I was at before, if not even better than that.

‘They know the things I’m good at – my strengths – but, they also know the things that I can work on. We just know each other to the point where they know what I respond best to.

‘In terms of winning and raising the standard, they know that I am always up for that. We push each other in that kind of way.’

Macario’s next opportunity to display her qualities will be our UEFA Women’s Champions League opening encounter against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday 8 October.

She is no stranger to the competition, with Macario scoring in the final and lifting the European trophy with Lyon, then led by Bompastor, in 2021/22.

And after going agonisingly close to a place in last season’s final wearing blue, Macario is raring to get back to playing on club football’s biggest stage.

‘The Champions League, I mean, those are the best nights aren’t they?’ Macario said. ‘They are when you play the best teams and it's when you really get to show off how great your club is.

‘It’s like the best against the best. They are always hard-fought games, but they’re the most fun.

‘We know what our job is. We know what our objectives are and where we want to get to.

‘It was heartbreaking to get so close last season. We have a lot of new faces, new coach, new staff and that will help set us up in the best way to hopefully get us where we want to go.’

With the Blues hoping to compete on four fronts this season, Macario appreciates everyone within our squad must be ready to play their part at any given moment.

‘The most important thing is that everyone is available,’ Macario said. ‘Everyone needs to be ready to step in if called upon.

‘That’s what we working on every single day. We know the standard that we want to play at and the standard we will have to play at if we are going to win our group and progress.

‘That’s the beauty of the Champions League because you have to be up for it and be at your best. On any given day, any team can beat another. It’s the same with the WSL – it’s so competitive. The Champions League is just a different beast.’

Tickets for our opening UEFA Women's Champions League match against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge are now on general sale! You can buy your ticket here.