Just hours after Olga Carmona scored the winning goal for Spain during the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday, the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced announce her father’s death.
“REF deeply regrets to report the death of Olga Carmona’s father. The footballer learned the sad news after the World Cup final,” the statement said. “We send our sincere hugs to Olga and her family in a moment of deep pain. We love you Olga, you are the history of Spanish football.”
The 23-year-old gave Spain a 1-0 lead over England in the 29th minute, flicking the ball down the floor of the goal with her left foot. She danced and celebrated with her teammates before being named MVP in the final.
It is unclear when Carmona’s father died. The statement did not mention the cause of death or say when exactly it was learned of his death.
After the trophy was presented, Carmona was chosen to speak to reporters at the post-match press conference. She did not say or do anything to indicate that she had received the news.
The defender suffered another loss on her mind during the match. She celebrated her goal by lifting her T-shirt to show that she had written “Merchi” on the zip-up top.
“First of all, I want to say that this victory, this achievement, belongs to the mother of a friend of mine who passed away recently,” she said after Sunday’s final. “She celebrated the goal with her shirt and from here I dedicate it to the whole family with all my love.”
On Sunday it was Carmona for the second time as champion of Spain that week. She also scored a dramatic 89th-minute winner in La Roja’s semi-final victory over Sweden on Tuesday, becoming the first player since American Carli Lloyd in 2015 to score in a World Cup semi-final and final.