Colombia’s Linda Caicedo scored a goal in the South Korean net in her World Cup debut. Caicedo hopes to be remembered for the joy and the way he lives football.
Colombian striker Linda Caicedo18, came to the fore on Tuesday when he finished off his team’s second goal on his World Cup debut against South Korea.
Playing in the World Cup is a rare feat, but with Caicedo, it was possible that he wouldn’t even be playing football right now.
Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15. At that point, he even felt like he would no longer be able to play professionally due to treatments and surgeries.
– I remember that I was going into surgery and I felt really bad. Because I thought I would no longer be able to play football at the top level, Caicedo told Fifa.
Cancer was a particularly challenging time for the mind.
– It was a very difficult moment in my life mentally. I am forever grateful that it happened when I was young. I was able to heal, I got support from my family and I feel very good now. It helped me grow. I am grateful and happy to be here.
Caicedo had already made her debut in the Colombian women’s national team at the age of 14. At that time, the head coach also coached the team in the World Cup Nelson Abadia.
Abadia coached Caicedo since he was 12 years old. He encouraged Caicedo during his battle with cancer.
– He said no, now you just relax. You will come back.
Caicedo’s 2-0 goal against South Korea can be seen in the video below.
The peak year flew to Real Madrid
Today, 18-year-old Caicedo is one of the best young players in the world. He shared the top scorer title in the 2021 club competition Copa Libertadores and was the best player in the 2022 Copa America.
– He is the hope of all of us. He is the promise of Colombia, the sports director Valentina Pena Orozco said W to Radio Colombia.
Last year was great from Caicedo. Shortly after the Copa America, he led Colombia to the playoffs at the Under-20 World Cup. In October, he was with the 17-year-olds, when Colombia historically reached the final and silver.
After a great year, Caicedo moved from Deportivo Cali to Real Madrid after turning 18 in February. He finished twice and had four hits in ten games.
Cheerful and humble
However, athletic talent is not the only thing that comes to mind when talking about Caicedo. The young star is also a great leader. He has often held the captain’s armband in Colombia’s youth teams.
Caicedo has also often spoken about enjoying the game. He once described cheerfulness and humility as his strengths.
– I am very young and I still have many tournaments ahead of me. I believe and hope that people know me for the joy and the way I live football. I want to be known like that everywhere, Caicedo said for Goal.com last year.
Although there is a lot left in his career, Caicedo is hungry to succeed in this World Cup as well. He answered confidently to Fifa how far Colombia can reach in the Games.
– Until the end. The passion and connection of this team is incredible. We really believe we can achieve that and win every game. We want to achieve great things.