Real Madrid teen Linda Caicedo is a superstar, but there are others for the Lionesses to worry about, too, as the South Americans keep making history

In the build-up to Colombia’s Women’s World Cup group-stage encounter with Germany, there were signs that it was going to be a special night in Sydney. Hours before kick-off, there were pockets of yellow shirts around the city, people with the national colours painted across their faces, large flags being carried around. But even when they joined together in their thousands to produce an incredible atmosphere as kick-off approached at the Allianz Stadium – roaring as the Colombia line-up was announced and singing their hearts out at the national anthem – few would have predicted what would follow.

Germany are a powerhouse in women’s football. They’ve won eight European titles and two World Cup trophies. Going into this tournament, they were one of the absolute favourites. But a wonder goal from teenage phenom Linda Caicedo and a towering header in the 97th minute from Manuela Vanegas meant they would be defeated. Colombia had pulled off one of the best results, and performances, of the World Cup so far.

"Today, we were playing as the home team,” assistant coach Angelo Marsiglia, standing in for suspended head coach Nelson Abadia, said with a beaming smile at the start of his post-match press conference. It was a result that all-but-sealed Colombia’s progression to the knockout stages – and would prove extremely costly for their opponents, too, who shockingly failed to get out of the group.

"We were competitive,” Marsiglia added. “We knew we would have an excellent attitude. We knew that against Germany, we had to be even better to get the win. If there is no intention whatsoever, there’s no attitude to compete and fight hard.

"Emotions were running high after the match. We said, ‘Let’s enjoy this but keep our feet on the ground’. We have a very mature team. We have to be happy because this is a great win for the country but the tournament still continues so we will go step by step."

After showing grit and determination to beat a stubborn Jamaica side, one that had not conceded until Catalina Usme’s winning goal in their last-16 encounter, Colombia’s next step is a pretty big one – a first ever Women’s World Cup quarter-final.

They took out Germany and now they have the chance to go one better by defeating England, the European champions and, on paper, the favourite to win the tournament. It's the biggest game in the history of the Colombia women’s national team – and it’s taken quite a lot to get here.

GettyFootball-mad nation

Colombia loves its football – it’s crazy about the sport – and so for many, its arrival at the top level of the women’s game was always a case of when, rather than if.

Despite a relative lack of support from the federation, the women's team defied the odds to qualify for the Women's World Cup for the first time in 2011 and, four years later, they went one better when they reached the knockout rounds. With back-to-back appearances at the Olympic Games also coming in 2012 and 2016, what that generation did was incredible.

“When I was playing, I would be the one doing the videography and creating content and all this stuff because no one else was doing it,” Melissa Ortiz, a member of the squad for the 2012 Olympic Games and one of the players who spoke out so prominently about a lack of support, explained to before the World Cup.

“I look back and I think, 'How many player photos do I even have?' Not that many, because they never even would send photographers out. Some supporters would come and watch us and give us some photos, but even the smallest details like that, actually having staff at camps, at training, at games, at tournaments that will cover things such as content and social media so that there's more exposure to the women's game [was lacking].”

These were the little things. That’s before we get into what a team needs to best prepare itself for matches. What, then, could this team be capable of with better resources?

AdvertisementGettyGrowth of the game

The team’s successful five-year spell was important. It resulted in more attention from the media and the launch of a professional women’s league, one which the country’s biggest clubs would invest in and one that , Colombia’s sports channel, would broadcast. The final of that first season showed the interest was growing, too, an attendance of 33,327 setting a new record for a Colombian women's match.

Attitudes started to change within the country and when Ortiz and her team-mate Isabella Echeverri spoke out about problems within the federation, questions were asked by those on the outside. “There definitely has been progress,” Ortiz admitted.

The simple things improved, too. Colombia started to play more friendly matches against international opposition, rather than just their familiar South American foes. This was not just in the senior teams, either, but also at youth level. Meanwhile, the federation was keeping tabs on an incredibly talented generation of young stars that was coming through, one that would certainly benefit from these steps forward. Women’s football was growing everywhere and, slowly but surely, this was also the case in Colombia.

GettyMaking a mark

We’re starting to see the fruits of all of this now. Colombia’s club teams are regulars in the latter stages of the Copa Libertadores and the country has several names that play their football in Spain, in one of the best leagues in the world.

Last year was a huge one for the national teams, too. Colombia hosted the Copa America Femenina and its team captured the hearts of the nation, reaching the final. They couldn’t conquer Brazil in the end, losing 1-0 due to a Debinha penalty, but they were so close to an historic triumph, and that was more than enough to make an impact.

The success didn’t end there, either. At the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in August, there were positive signs as Colombia topped the group, again inflicting an eventually fatal blow on Germany, but lost to Brazil in the quarter-finals, another penalty deciding events.

Then came the U17 Women’s World Cup and another run to the final. It was this which really highlighted the incredible generation that Colombia has coming through, the likes of Ana Maria Guzman and Gabriela Rodriguez really catching the eye in India.

But at the forefront of that charge, and that of both the U20 World Cup team and the senior Copa America team, was Linda Caicedo.

GettyA genuine superstar

There’s a lot of talent in Colombia’s squad, be it in record goal-scorer Catalina Usme, the promising and prolific Mayra Ramirez and the creative abilities of Leicy Santos. But in Caicedo, they have one of the most promising teenage footballers on this planet.

As a 14-year-old, Caicedo debuted in the Colombian top-flight, won the Golden Boot and led America de Cali to its first league title. She made her senior national team debut at the same age. A year later, she had to go through an extremely tough period when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Fortunately, the young forward battled through it and can even look back on it in an extremely mature light today. “What happened made me grow,” she told .

Aged 16, she’d moved on to Deportivo Cali, where she'd win another a league title while also claiming the Golden Boot in her debut campaign in the Copa Libertadores. By the time last year’s Copa America came around, then, a tournament she'd be named the Most Valuable Player of, Caicedo was one of the hottest properties in the women’s game. Every club wanted her. After dazzling the continent with her tricky feet, clinical touch and impressive work-rate, then doing so on two world stages at youth level, she eventually signed for Real Madrid in February, a few days after her 18th birthday.

She’s already making a difference in Spain and her performances at this World Cup have absolutely confirmed that she is a genuine superstar and a potential Ballon d'Or winner of the future.