Linda Caicedo: From Cancer Survival To Colombian Poster Girl Who Stunned Germany

Linda Caicedo has continued to prove that with life everything is possible as she remains the poster girl of the Colombia women’s national team at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

During the game, Linda Caicedo scored the opening goal to give Colombia the lead before Germany equalized with an 89th-minute Alexandra Popp penalty.

When the world thought the game would end in a draw, Manuela Vanegas scored a 97th-minute winner as the South American team stunned Germany to grab the top spot in Group H.

The win means that Colombia are number one in the group with 6 points in two games, three points above second-placed Germany who are two times champions of the tournament.

Linda Caicedo’s performance so far in the 2023 Women’s World Cup brings to mind how her career almost ended when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 15.

Caicedo’s career and life were on the line but she managed to bounce back after a successful surgery which helped her to survive cancer. Afterward, she joined Real Madrid women’s team as her career returned to the path of glory.

Now at 18 years old, she is seen as the poster girl of women’s football in Colombia, a South American country that first played in the Women’s World Cup in 2011.

The fact that she survived cancer and has now become a deadly footballer at the 2023 Women’s World Cup has made her a source of inspiration across the world.

Recall that Linda Caicedo grabbed the world’s attention during the ongoing World Cup when she came in from the left wing and scored a superb goal as Colombia beat South Korea 2-0 in their opening match, to earn the country their second-ever win at the Women’s World Cup.

Caicedo’s goal means, at 18 years and 153 days, she is the second-youngest South American player to score a goal in the history of the tournament, with only Brazil icon Marta doing so at a younger age.

To prove that her performance against South Korea was not a fluke, she scored another stunning goal as Colombia beat Germany 2-1 earlier today, July 30, 2023.

As it stands, Colombia need just a draw against Morocco on August 3, to finish at the top of Group H while Germany need to beat South Korea to guarantee their place in round 16.