Spain's hero of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 final Olga Carmona opened up after knowing of her father's death hours later she guided her country to their maiden World Cup triumph.
Carmona's father took his last breath on Friday (August 19) after a long battle with an illness.
The heartbreaking news was withheld by the 23-year-old by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) so she could concentrate on the final.
The news was published by RFEF in a statement just a few hours after the final.
“The RFEF deeply regrets to report the death of Olga Carmona’s father. The soccer player learned the sad news after the World Cup final. We send our most sincere hugs to Olga and her family in a moment of deep pain. We love you, Olga,” RFEF said in the statement.
Carmona later took to her X account to say words about her deceased father.
“And without being aware of it, I had my Star before kick off,” she wrote. “I know you gave me the strength to accomplish something truly unique. I know you were watching me tonight and that you are proud of me. Rest in peace, dad,” the footballer wrote on X.
Real Madrid, the club Hermoso plays for, also paid tribute to the player's father in a statement.
"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," the club said in a statement.
Earlier, Spain beat England 1-0 in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup at the Stadium Australia on Sunday (August 20) thanks to a 29th-minute strike by left-back Olga Carmona, who at the age of 23 years and 69 days became the second-youngest player to score in both the semi-final and final of a single edition of a FIFA Women's World Cup tournament, behind only United States’ Alex Morgan in 2011 (22y 15d).
La Roja became the fifth team to win the Women’s World Cup, after USA (4), Germany (2), Norway (1), and Japan (1). Prior to this year’s edition, they had only ever won one match at the tournament.