• Spain's Olga Carmona was told after winning the World Cup that her father died
• Carmona's father is understood to have died on Friday but it was kept from her
• She scored the only goal of the game as Spain beat the Lionesses 1-0 in Sydney 

 

 

Spain's World Cup final hero Olga Carmona tweeted a heartbreaking tribute to her father on Sunday night after she learned of his death in the aftermath of their win over England.

Carmona's father is understood to have died on Friday but news was kept from the 23-year-old defender so as not to affect her frame of mind going into the game against the Lionesses.

The Spanish Football Federation tweeted after the game: 'We deeply regret to announce the death of Olga Carmona's father. The footballer learnt the sad news after the World Cup final. We love you, Olga, you are part of Spanish football history.'

But in a post later on Sunday night the 23-year-old, who scored the only goal of the game past England's Mary Earps, said her father had 'given me the strength to achieve something unique'.

She wrote: 'And without knowing it, I had my star before the game started.

 

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Mixed.

 

On the one hand there's nothing she could do since he was already dead; OTOH it's pretty Machiavellian that her coaches decided to keep such intimate knowledge knowledge from her.

 

I suspect whatever she feels would be different:

 

1) If Spain had lost

 

2) If she was told beforehand, decided not to play, and looked back five years from now

I think they were just in not saying anything,  it was only a day after that he passed,  and if he was sick she would know the time could come soon.   She couldn't do anything to bring him back anyway, and if she knew it would obviously affect her game. 

 

RIP Carmona's father.