Linda Caicedo, 18, shines in Colombia’s debut, scores a goal and confirms expectations – 07/25/2023 – Sport

At the age of 18 and seen as a great promise in women’s football, Linda Caicedo debuted in the World Cup with a great goal against South Korea, in a game in which Colombia and South Korea fought for second place in Group H, led by the powerful Germany.

The Colombian team won and defeated the South Korean team by 2 to 0. Catalina Usme scored the first goal. Linda, in turn, scored in a play in which she left two markers behind and kicked hard. She also counted on the failure of the South Korean goalkeeper.

The striker is her team’s main hope of surviving the first round – there are reasons for that. Linda already has a history of overcoming challenges and success in soccer. The Colombian’s talent led her to be signed by Real Madrid, with a contract for five seasons.

At the age of 15, while playing for Deportivo Cali, the player discovered ovarian cancer, underwent surgery to remove the tumor and underwent chemotherapy. Recovered, she continued in the sport.

In the elite of international football, Linda is in her third World Cup in a period of 12 months. Before the Colombian senior team, she already played in the under 17 categories, in India, and under 20, in Costa Rica.

“Glory to God”, celebrated the young athlete in a publication on social networks about the triple call-up.

In addition to catching the attention of Real Madrid, Linda was considered the second best player in the world by the Globe Soccer Awards.

“She is one of those people touched by God, who was born for this,” Diego Vásquez, the first coach, told AFP.

The young woman with braided hair began to stand out in her homeland, Villagorgona, a village near Cali.

She is really precocious. At the age of 6, she looked for a soccer school in the village and, in one exception, she was received as the first woman in the field. She played alongside boys, then older players, and was in the right place at the right time when Colombian women’s football was blossoming.

At the age of 14, she made her professional debut for América de Cali, was a top scorer and was instrumental in winning the Colombian Championship.

After that, he went to Deportivo Cali and won the championship again, in 2021. He even played a few matches wearing a wig because of cancer treatment.

She is an example for young women in Villagorgona, who still deal with machismo when they want to play football. On social media, he leads campaigns against pollution in the oceans.

“Mom and Dad, when I begged to play football at the age of 6, you never gave up. Thank you for believing in me and helping me make our dreams come true,” she said when signing for Real Madrid. “It is an honor and pride to represent the colors of my country, my city Villagorgona and its beautiful people”, she added.

With AFP