Spain's World Cup winners dedicate trophy to María Caamaño, 'princess warrior footballer', at Cibeles celebration

A moment of silence at Cibeles

The Spanish national team paused its World Cup victory celebration at Madrid's Cibeles fountain on Monday to remember a young supporter. Captain Rodri took the microphone as the packed square fell silent. He called for a tribute to María Caamaño, a 13-year-old girl who had lost her life to cancer a few months earlier. The crowd responded by chanting her name, and the players raised the trophy in her honour. The moment transformed the fiesta into a moving act of collective remembrance.

We wanted to remember a very special little person, María, who left us a very short while ago. A big round of applause for María, who is watching us from above.

The celebration, which followed Spain's World Cup triumph in the United States, had been marked by joy until that point. The host told the thousands gathered that the trophy belonged not only to fifty million Spaniards but also to those who watch from heaven. The players' gesture showed the profound connection between the team and the young fan.

The 'princess warrior footballer'

María Caamaño was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in 2019, when she was just six years old. The rare and aggressive bone cancer required seven years of treatment before she died in April at the age of 13. Her family shared her journey on social media, turning her into a symbol of resilience and a campaigner for childhood cancer awareness. A native of Salamanca, she was nicknamed the 'princesa guerrera futbolera' – the princess warrior footballer – for her passion for the game and her fighting spirit.

A bond with the team from the start

Her connection to La Roja began through Álvaro Morata, then the team's captain, whose foundation promotes sport among children. Morata opened the doors of the national team dressing room to María. She was invited onto the stage during the Euro 2024 victory celebrations in Madrid, standing alongside players Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams, Álex Baena and Marc Cucurella. That image of a smiling girl with the champions became a source of motivation for the squad during the 2026 World Cup; the team kept a photograph of that moment at its base in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Álex Baena, now a player for Atlético de Madrid, forged a particularly close bond with María and her family. He collaborated on several occasions with the charitable project she launched, La Sonrisa de María, aimed at funding research into Ewing sarcoma. When Spain faced Uruguay on 26 June, the day María would have turned 14, Baena scored a goal and later said he believed she had given the ball a helpful push from above. The match secured Spain's position as group H leader.

Baena's tribute and the cancer research project

After the World Cup final, Baena posted an AI-generated image on Instagram showing himself next to María in front of a banner that read 'La segunda estrella eres tú' – 'The second star is you'. His caption read: "Everything for you. Thank you, María. You deserve it." The post quickly spread, symbolising the team's determination to honour her memory.

When I saw the replay of the goal, I thought that surely she gave it a little kick from above to make it go in.

The project La Sonrisa de María continues to raise funds for medical research into the disease that took her life. The foundation that bears her name has become a tangible legacy of her fight against childhood cancer, and the team's repeated tributes have drawn national attention to the cause.