Olga Carmona’s winning goal to seize the Women’s World Cup for Spain has sadly been followed by a family tragedy.
After the 23-year-old athlete’s goal clinched a victory for Spain in Sunday’s final against England, she learned that her father had died, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced on X, formerly known as Twitter. The RFEF did not reveal when Carmona’s father died or provide a cause of death, nor did they say when Carmona was told the news.
Olga Carmona was among the Spanish teammates celebrating the win on the field, and she participated in the trophy presentation, per the AP.
“We deeply regret that we must announce the death of Olga Carmona’s father,” the RFEF wrote in its post. “We send our deepest condolences to Olga and her family at this time of deep sorrow. We love you, Olga. You are part of the history of Spanish football.”
Carmona’s club, Real Madrid, also issued a statement: “Real Madrid, the president and the board of directors are deeply saddened by the passing of the father of our player Olga Carmona. Real Madrid would like to extend our condolences and heartfelt sympathy to Olga, her family and all her loved ones. May he rest in peace.”
Carmona scored her winning goal in the first half to give Spain a 1-0 victory over England. She was named most valuable player on Sunday, and celebrated by revealing the word “Merchi” on her undershirt in honor of a friend’s mother who recently died.
“I think all of us, we felt that this team had something special,” Carmona said after the game, according to the AP.
Carmona also came to Spain’s rescue in the semifinal against Sweden on Tuesday, scoring an 89th-minute goal that led the team to a 2-1 win. With Sunday’s goal, she became the first player since American Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semifinal and final.
