Teen cancer survivor Linda Caicedo collapses twice at Women's World Cup World

The world's best female footballers are giving it their all at the FIFA Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. Among the participants is Colombia, with one player attracting attention for very diverse reasons.

Her name is Linda Caicedo and her story is one to remember.

Caicedo plays for Spanish giant Real Madrid, that signed her from Colombian side Deportivo Cali in 2023.

Caicedo started very well at Real Madrid, scoring twice and providing four assists in her first ten league appearances for the Spanish club.

After her good start in the Spanish capital, Caicedo wanted to excel with Colombia at the FIFA Women's World Cup.

The striker achieved that goal by scoring the second goal in Colombia's opening match against South Korea (2-0).

Colombia's next opponent was Germany, one of the best national teams in women's football.

Colombia was shocked by a medical incident during a training session involving Caicedo, who collapsed when she was dribbling with the ball, as reported by The Sun.

Caicedo had to stop and grabbed the left side of her chest, after which she fell over and seemed to have lost consciousness.

Teammates rushed over, and Colombian medical staff came onto the pitch as Caicedo regained consciousness and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

However, Caicedo made a miraculous recovery and was declared fit for the match against Germany days later.

The incident did not seem to affect Caicedo's performance, as she scored a great goal against the Germans, dribbling past an opponent and finding the top corner.

Colombia clinched the match 1-2 after a late winner, but after Caicedo scored, she collapsed again in the 83rd minute.

Medical staff helped Caicedo off the pitch, but surprisingly, the player was not substituted and was allowed to continue playing into stoppage time.

The two incidents raise questions about Caicedo's future in football, as we have seen many examples in the past of players having to quit professional football due to heart problems. Moreover, it was not Caicedo's first health problem.

In 2020, Caicedo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 15. She had surgery and was treated with chemotherapy. Six months later, made her comeback in football.

"Every time we would take Linda to the hospital, she would cry, and she would ask the doctors to please tell her the truth, if she would be able to play football again. That’s all she wanted to know," Caicedo's mother Herlinda tells The Sun.

Caicedo fought back after being diagnosed with cancer and showed her exceptional talent at the FIFA Women's World Cup. Now let's hope she can continue to do so for many years to come.