Olga Carmona, the heroine of Spain’s World Cup final, paid tribute to her father in a heartbreaking tribute on Twitter on Sunday night after learning of his death after defeating England.
Carmona’s father is believed to have died on Friday, but the 23-year-old defender’s message was kept secret so as not to spoil her spirits ahead of the Lionesses game.
The Spanish Football Association tweeted after the game: “We deeply regret having to announce the death of Olga Carmona’s father.” The footballer learned the sad news after the World Cup final. “We love you Olga, you are part of Spanish football history.”
But in a post later on Sunday night, the 23-year-old, who scored the only goal of the game against England’s Mary Earps, said her father “gave me the strength to achieve something unique”.
She wrote, “And unbeknownst to me, I had my star before the game even started.”
Celebrations in Spain were marred by tragedy when goalscorer Olga Carmona was told her father had passed away before the final
Carmona scored the only goal of the game as Spain beat the Lionesses 1-0 in the Sydney final
“I know you gave me the strength to achieve something unique.” I know you’ve been watching me tonight and you’re proud of me. Rest in peace dad.’
Carmona celebrated her first-half goal with a message on her shirt for a friend whose mother had just died.
It commemorated the gesture made by men’s player Andres Iniesta to his late friend Dani Jarque when he scored the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 Men’s World Cup final.
Carmona, a left-back, was voted player of the match in Sunday’s final and also scored a late winner in Spain’s semi-final win over Sweden.
She celebrated her team’s success on the field with her teammates and danced at Sydney Stadium.
In an interview, she said: “We felt that there was something special about this team.”
Real Madrid also released a statement on her father’s death on Sunday night, offering their condolences to the player and her family.
Carmona’s Spanish teammate Irene Paredes lost her father just days before Spain began preparations for the World Cup. The defender dedicated the title to him on Sunday.
Before news of Carmona’s father’s death broke, the federation said the title celebrations would take place following the team’s arrival in Madrid on Monday night.
It was not clear if the celebrations would go ahead as planned or if Carmona would participate in any way.
Spain celebrated their win in style on the pitch, with Queen Letizia even getting into the middle of the team photo and raising the trophy.
In a post on Sunday night, the 23-year-old said her father “gave me the strength to achieve something unique”.
Carmona, playing for Real Madrid in Spain, lifts the Women’s World Cup trophy in Sydney
She was then handed a Spain shirt with the number 12 on the back and had to politely decline while the entire squad shouted at her to put it on.
The protocol was forgotten as Spain became only the second nation after Germany to win both the men’s and women’s World Cups.
“We dedicate it to all our families and the people of Spain,” said Jennifer Hermoso, who missed a penalty, “we played football the way we wanted and we won a World Cup.”
Back in Spain, they queued two hours before kick-off outside the 6,000-seat WiZink Center in Madrid, one of around 30 fansites set up across the country to broadcast the final.
There was a collective applause in the 90th minute when the fourth official showed that there were 13 minutes left, but when the final whistle blew the euphoria evaporated.
“We got our revenge in the most important game,” said Diario AS, recalling how England knocked Spain out of EURO in the quarter-finals a year ago.
“It’s nice that we’re breaking down barriers and people are talking about us,” said midfielder Teresa Abelleira. Attention is unlikely to wane any time soon.
Spain will return to Madrid on Monday night, where they will head straight to a trophy parade in the Spanish capital.
However, their victory and the celebrations that followed caused controversy after Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales kissed striker Jenni Hermoso on the podium as the players accepted their medals.
Rubiales threw his arms around Hermoso and hugged her tightly while whispering in her ear. Then he put both hands on the back of her head and kissed her on the lips.
Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales (right) has been heavily criticized after he appeared to kiss striker Jenni Hermoso as the players on the podium accepted their medals
He threw his arms around Hermoso, hugged her tightly and then kissed her on the lips
Asked about the hug after the game by Spanish TV channel La 1, Hermoso responded with a slightly uneasy look: “Uh…yeah, I didn’t like that.”
Asked about the hug after the game by Spanish TV channel La 1, Hermoso responded with a slightly uneasy look: “Uh…yeah, I didn’t like that.”
She said the same thing when asked from the dressing rooms of Spain on a livestream on her Instagram.
Footage of the kiss has gone viral across the internet since it aired, with some supporters highly critical of Rubiales’ behavior.
One angry fan said: “The behavior of Rubiales on that podium was absolutely dismal. ‘Highly, highly inappropriate!’
Another added: “This is just awful, there is absolutely nothing to justify Rubiale’s behavior.”
Another angry person expressed his contempt for the attitude of a senior figure in Spanish football.
They said: “The worrying fact here is the casual way Rubiales is behaving towards Hermoso.” The FA President does so on sport’s biggest stage with royalty and officials close by, surrounded by cameras. “Very disturbing and frankly worrying.”
One person even insisted it was a worrying sign for the future of the sport, adding: “It’s sad to think women’s football won’t make great strides with men like Rubiales, Vilda and Infantino remaining in strong positions remain.”