Spain’s Olga Carmona Experiences Triumph and Agony in a Matter of Minutes

SYDNEY – While her teammates were gleefully celebrating their crowning achievement of winning the 2023 Women’s World Cup before nearly 75,000 passionate football fans in Sydney’s Olympic Stadium, Spain’s captain, Olga Carmona, was learning that her father had passed before the start of the epic match.

Later in the evening, it was reported that he had been fighting an illness, and her immediate family elected to keep the loss from her knowledge until after the match concluded. 

The Spanish Football Federation made a formal announcement to media so after the final whistle sounded-off, “The Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) deeply regrets to report the death of Olga Carmona’s father. We send our most sincere hugs to Olga and her family in a moment of deep pain. We love you, Olga, you are the history of Spanish football.”

Concurrent, Carmona posted “And without knowing it, I had my star before the game started. I know that you have given me the strength to achieve something unique. I know that you have been watching me tonight and that you are proud of me. Rest in peace dad.”

The fleet-footed left defensive back scored the lone goal of the tense match. Her point was more than enough for Spain to defeat England, and be crowded first time world champions in the team history.

For the 23-year-old, the game was meant to be a dedication to a very close friend’s mother who had recently passed away.

After she scored her goal, she raced across the pitch towards her bench, and lifted her jersey to display a handwritten tribute on her undershirt which had the word “Merchi” written on it in black ink.

During her stoic post game press conference, Carmona later explained she was paying the tribute.

“First of all I want to say that this victory, this achievement, goes to the mother of one of my friends who has recently passed away.” She added, “I celebrated the goal with her shirt and from here dedicate it to the whole family with all my love.”

The gritty two-way player produced goals in both the semi-final and final for the high flying La Roja’s. She had also scored a late goal in La Roja’s 2-1 win over a stellar Swedish-side.

According to FIFA her two goals match U.S. Soccer’s legend, Carli Lloyd’s achievement in the 2015 tournament, when she scored in semi-final and again the finale.

Not only did Carmona experience family related grief, so did her teammate and fellow defender, Irene Paredes. Her father died just days before Spain commenced their preparations for the tournament.

Photo Credit: John Babiak.

Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. If you want to support us, join our Patreon starting at $5/month. Also, we’re always looking for new talent to contribute to the site, develop, and give opportunities to. If you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer in any way, let us know.