Who is Linda Caicedo? The Rising Star of the Colombian Soccer National Team

Linda Caicedo was the Colombian soccer player who stood out the most in the recent Copa América. With a runner-up title and a ticket to the next Women's World Cup, Caicedo is experiencing one of the best moments of her short career. Together with Catalina Usme, Caicedo finished among the ideal eleven of the players of this Copa América and rumors even circulate through the networks that they could be interested in her from FC Barcelona.

An explosive start

At just 17 years old, Caicedo is off to an explosive start to his career. At 1.61m tall and weighing 58kg, her professional debut came in 2019, when she was a Top-scorer and champion in the women's league with América de Cali. At that time, she was just 14 years old. It was at this point in her career that she began to be called “La Neymar” because of her dribbling skills, her attitude on the field of play and her great technical ability to play. The native of Santiago de Cali then moved to Deportivo Cali, where she won her second title in 2021.

Since 2019, the forward has been a participant in the Colombian National Team, playing in 17 games and scoring 8 goals as a result.

Am even brighter future

At this moment, Caicedo is in the orbit of two important international opportunities: FC Barcelona and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) of the United States.

The two goals that Caleña scored in this Copa América were undoubtedly key to attracting the attention of the soccer world outside of Colombia and even earned the respect of several Colombian soccer players who previously did not have her on their radar. For example, she received praise from "Tino" Asprilla, the former striker for the Colombian National Team.

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“We are at the forefront of a world phenomenon, how she plays is impressive. To be so young and is in the process of learning, but it seems that she is older because she understands the game very well, when she has to be collective she also does it in the best way, it is a pleasure and a pride for us that she is Colombian” he expressed Asprilla about Caicedo. "When I see her, she has the same personality as mine, from when I faced and went to the front of the goal, I had the goal in my head and I wasn't afraid to throw a dribble, to throw daring things, because there are soccer players who don't know how to do it or it scares them, she is above good and evil," she added.

One thing that could complicate his future in Europe is his age, as he would need to wait until he was 18 to be able to participate in European soccer. This would not be a problem in the NWSL of the United States, so it is an issue to consider for the future of the player. However, her representatives have ensured that Linda already has a pre-agreement with Fc Barcelona, so she could be on her way to that team when she turns 18.

For now, we hope that she can stand out in her next competitions: the U-20 World Cup and the long-awaited Women's World Cup in 2023.