The Colombian has caused a media frenzy since her transfer to the Spanish side and on 4 March she made her debut for the club.
Linda Caicedo (Candelaria, Colombia, 2005), made her much anticipated debut for Real Madrid Femenino in Liga F in the 1-5 win against Alhama El Pozo. The Colombian star is just 17-years-old yet her signature has been sought after ever since she broke on the scene with Deportivo Cali and led Colombia to the u-17 World Cup final last year.
Victory for the South American was not to be, with Kenio Gonzalo’s Spain side, led by Vicky López, claiming the trophy, but that was only the beginning of the story for the youngster that would soon explode into new dimensions.
Linda Caicedo finally signs for Real Madrid
After clubs across Europe and beyond vied for her signature, the Deportivo Cali player finally struck a deal with Real Madrid, who promptly pushed the transfer through after a late twist of fate almost saw her sign for FC Barcelona: Linda signed for the Madrid club on 25 February and had her first training session a few days later.
The Colombian makes her debut
She made the squad for the Liga F away game against Alhama El Pozo, and had to wait until the 75th minute to make her debut, in a 1-5 win. Goals from Caroline Weir, Maite Oroz and Athenea gave Madrid a 3-1 lead at half-time, and after the break, despite an attempted comeback from Alhama in the form of a barrage of chances, Esther’s goal to make it four just after the hour mark settled the game. After this point, manager Alberto Toril decided that he could afford to make changes and told Linda to warm up. Ten minutes later, she was on the pitch for the first time as a Real Madrid player.
Maite made way and Linda stepped onto Alhama’s artificial turf, immediately making a positive impact from the left wing position after receiving the ball from Nahikari in the box, only to get her feet muddled up and send the low shot wide from close range. But the flickers of quality didn’t stop there: a minute later, she took the ball down from the air with all the grace of a figure skater; four minutes after that she almost turned provider, setting up a chance for Nahikari after a bursting away from the defender, reading Zornoza’s return pass excellently well.
A positive start for Linda
Caicedo switched to a more central position for the final few minutes, where she continued to create danger. She stole the ball high up the pitch from an opponent and drove forward, skipping past challenges and shifting the ball to her right, before rifling a shot just over the bar. There was no goal or assist for Linda on her debut, but, as they say in Spanish, great sensations. An own goal a minute later sealed the three points for Real Madrid Femenino, who are now fully aware of just how much of a star they have got in their hands.