A few days after celebrating her 18th birthday, when she is finally able to play outside her country, Linda Caicedo has signed for Real Madrid.
Almost four years after her debut as a professional, nearly four years after we told her story here at BabaGol, Linda Caicedo is one of the best footballers in the world.
She was chased by the top sides in world football - Barcelona and Chelsea to name a couple - but went for a challenge with Real Madrid.
Unlike the men's team, the women's team is considered an underdog compared to rivals Barcelona.
There is ambition there though, and the club’s board wants to build a team that will equally compete with the Catalan outfit, and Caicedo is a fundamental stone
🤩🌱 ¡Primer día en la oficina!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadridfem) February 28, 2023
😄 @Linda__caicedo | #WelcomeLinda pic.twitter.com/12GboQxaXK
She was born in Cali, Colombia, on 22nd February 2005, and first came on our radar when she made her debut with America de Cali 14 years later.
Caicedo was a vital part of the team's championship, scoring seven goals in seven matches.
But she caused controversy in her hometown, when she moved to fierce rival Deportivo Cali, a move which the board and fans of America didn't take well.
Caicedo continued to work hard at her new club, and finished among the top scorers at the 2021 Copa Libertadores.
Her breakthrough year would come in 2022 - no football player in the world was busier than Caicedo.
Due to her young age and fantastic performance, she starred in all age groups of the Colombian national team - from the under-17’s right up to the senior side.
And in every team, she was the best player.
In March she helped the U17s to qualify for the World Cup, as Colombia finished as runners-up to Brazil in their qualifiers.
And that story would repeat itself a few months later with the U20 national team.
In August she played in their World Cup, and took Colombia to the quarter-finals before they were beaten by Brazil.
Two months later, she played in the U17 World Cup and made history, leading Colombia to the final where they were ultimately beaten.
The Copa America with the senior squad pushed Caicedo into the spotlight.
Despite her young age, she started in coach Nelson Abadia's line-up due to her excellent form.
When she was 14 years old, only 3 years ago, Idan Segev told you she'd be one of the best. Tonight her national team lost to Brazil in the final, but the 🇨🇴 winger, Linda Caicedo, was chosen as the best player f the Copa America 2022#CopaAmericaFemenina https://t.co/EXUh6Pee0f pic.twitter.com/ZUNCpsmV1H
— BabaGol (@BabaGol_) July 31, 2022
Colombia played great in this tournament, qualified for the 2023 World Cup and reached the final before losing to Brazil.
And Caicedo contributed two goals, one of them the decider against Argentina in the semis.
At the age of 17, she was chosen as the MVP of that tournament, and she was similarly chosen as one of the best U20 players in the world by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. The European scouts had her name in their notebooks.
After the Copa America, Barcelona sent representatives to Cali to speak with Caicedo's parents - they wanted the Colombian diamond.
The person pushing her towards Barca was Caicedo’s former agent, Carles Catalán, who has a close relationship with the Catalan club.
In November, Barca's president, Joan Laporta, said she was an “extraordinary player” whom they’ve “tried to contact several times”.
At the same time, however, Caicedo had decided to replace Catalán as her agent, with Cisco Terreros.
Catalán was hurt by this move, and said that, “when fame comes, people try to take advantage of it, like Cisco Terreros".
When Terreros started working with Caicedo, the destination changed from Barcelona to Madrid.
A few days after her 18th birthday, she arrived in the Spanish capital, passed the medical, and signed with the Blancos.
Although it’s not been officially confirmed, press releases indicate that the forward signed a four-year contract, with a possible extension. She received a significant signing-on fee of €235,000 (£208,000) too.
For Real Madrid, she will wear the number 19.
Caicedo could be one of the biggest stars in La Liga, with her new club’s primary goal being to threaten Barcelona's hegemony.
But there’s another rivalry that may come to the fore - Caicedo and Barcelona's young Spaniard, Vicky López, could be the new Messi and Ronaldo of women's football.
They both met in the U17 World Cup final, and both players look set to be the future of women's football.
But right now, Linda Caicedo is focused on making it on the world's biggest stage for the first time.
She will appear in her first senior World Cup tournament with Colombia in a few months time and, despite her young age, Caicedo has proven that nothing frightens her.
And if she continues this way, the sky's the limit.
Edited by Alex Smith
The women's team of Real Madrid beat Alhama 5-1, 🇨🇴Linda Caicedo made her debut when she came as a sub in the 74th minute pic.twitter.com/1yvFZMvCt1
— BabaGol (@BabaGol_) March 4, 2023
