Dig deep | She won the World Cup with a great goal, but lost the man who wouldn't let her play
Today, Carmona has won the top honor of the collective, and her personal football career has unlimited possibilities.
Text | Phoenix
Her affectionate kiss on the trophy made the world mesmerized. On the night of the 2023 Women's World Cup final, 23-year-old Olga Carmona scored her only spectacular goal to help Spain win the title 1-0 against powerful England.
The captain of the Spanish women's football team conquered everyone. Who would have thought that such a football elf would not be allowed to play football by his father when he was a child; And this father, in the end, did not see the moment when his daughter reached the top of the world, although it was only one day away.
"History revisited"
In the 29th minute of the final, Carmona, who played as a left-back, quickly cut in and hit a sharp slash straight into the dead corner, even if it was the world's best goalkeeper Earps, who could only look forward to the goal.
Carmona (left) plays against England in the final.
A few days ago in the semifinals of the Women's World Cup, one minute before the end, it was Carmona who threw a kick to help the team advance to the final. She scored two of the most important goals of the Spanish women's team to date.
After scoring the final goal, Carmona lifted her jersey in celebration, revealing a undershirt that read "MERCHI," a personal name. After the game, she said it was in memory of the mother who had passed away from one of her best friends. "I will send all my love to her family."
Celebration after Carmona's goal in the final.
This scene cannot but remind people of the South African men's World Cup final 13 years ago, Andres Iniesta also scored the only goal of the game for Spain, and also won the first World Cup title for the team. His celebratory gesture revealed the vest he wore, which read, "Daniel Harker will always be with us."
Andres Iniesta's celebration after scoring in the World Cup final in South Africa.
Daniel Halke is a close friend of Andres Iniesta and captain of La Liga club Espanyol. On August 9, 2009, Hark died of a heart attack at the age of 26. Iniesta dedicated the goal to him with deep nostalgia for his friend.
Men's and women's football, two world champions, twice commemorating the dead, this is a duo across time and space.
However, what is difficult to calm is that after the final, Carmona learned the bad news that her father had just died the day before. Her family decided to wait until after the game to tell her the news.
Carmona said on social media after the game: "I had my star before the game started. I know you have given me the strength to achieve something like no other. I know you're watching me tonight, and you're proud of me. Rest in peace, Father. ”
Carmona poses with her family on the sidelines after the game.
Dream Girl
Olga Carmona was born in Seville, Spain, in June 2000. It is the city of football in the country of football, and many children, both men and women, naturally fall in love with playing football from an early age. But Carmona's parents sent her brothers to soccer academy, but only allowed her to learn swimming, tennis and flamenco.
Plaza de España in Seville.
The adults' decision at the time also made sense, because even in Spain, the women's football at that time was completely undeveloped, and the Spanish women's football team did not participate in the World Cup for the first time until 2015.
However, Carmona knows that her favorite thing is football. Her persistence made her mother change her mind and began to support her to participate in systematic football training. At the age of 7, she joined her brothers' youth team and played football with the boys. Carmona's football talent soon showed, and she began to grow steadily.
At the age of 16, she reached Sevilla FC's women's first team before being promoted to the top flight in 2017. In 2018, she was called up by the Spanish women's national youth team and won the U19 Women's European Championship with the team.
Her dazzling performance quickly attracted the attention of the giants, and Real Madrid Women's football team was only established in 2020, and she was immediately included in the team. Carmona has been a Real Madrid fan since she was a child, and when she was called up to her dream team, she did not hesitate to leave her hometown for Madrid to start a new journey.
Carmona's first official league appearance for Real Madrid Women.
At Real Madrid Women, she wears the number 7 shirt. She was a striker before and her attacking approach was bold and resolute; Here she switched to left-back, defending equally sharply, and acting as a winger when involved in attack. Here, she gradually grew into a top player.
Carmona (right) competes with Barca players in the Women's Champions League.
In 2021, Carmona was selected for the Spanish women's national team for the first time, and a year later, she was named vice-captain of the national team. Captain Andres played less time, and Carmona often became captain on the field. In September 2022, the Spanish women's national team was in infighting, with 15 players opposing head coach Bilda announcing their withdrawal from the national team. Of course, Carmona wasn't among them; Instead, as a young man in the team, she took on the responsibility of uniting the team.
Carmona sorted out her captain's armband.
"It's not the captain's armband that matters, it's letting all my teammates know that I'm someone they can rely on in difficult times. I'm proud to be captain. But whether I'm captain or not, I'll step up when the team needs it. Carmona once said. And as it turned out, she did!
Spain at the 2023 Women's World Cup medal ceremony.
From the memory of her friend's mother after scoring in the World Cup final, one can feel that Carmona is a girl with delicate feelings. Such traits sometimes turn into sentimentality and affect her progress. In order to achieve good results in the World Cup, she began consulting professional sports psychologists a few months ago. "The whole counseling process started with why I chose to play football and looked back at how I got to where I am today. Psychological issues have always been a weakness of mine, and through counseling, I learned to let go of pressure from the outside world and focus on football itself. ”
Today, Carmona has won the top honor of the collective, and her personal football career has unlimited possibilities. When such a women's football hero is increasingly appearing on the highest stage, we can also expect that girls who like to play football in every corner of the world can pursue their love and realize their dreams like her.
Source: IC
Some sources: Relevo, Deportes TVC, Xinhua