Luisa Agudelo

She has two dogs.

Her childhood nickname is “La Mariposa,” or “The Butterfly.” Her stepfather Joaquín chose it because she was so restless and energetic. Her school recommended finding a sporting outlet for all that energy when she was seven years old.

Skating came before football, and she even won a skating championship as a child.

Her introduction to football happened almost by accident. She accompanied her older sister Sheila to a friendly match, one team was short of a player, and Luisa was asked to join in.

She was the only girl in a group of 18 boys at her first football school and faced bullying from teammates and opponents. She did more than earn the boys’ respect—she eventually became their captain.

A bone contusion kept her out for more than a year and at one stage made her think she might not play again.

Her move to goal came through a compromise: for a while, coaches told her she could spend part of the match in net and part of it up front.

One of her biggest personal ambitions is to buy her mother a house, a country property and a good car.

At only 14, she was invited into Colombia’s senior national-team environment and trained alongside established goalkeepers including Catalina Pérez and Sandra Sepúlveda.