After Marta Cox scored the goal that would send Panama to the Women’s World Cup for the first time in the nation’s history, she burst into tears. It was February 2023, the semifinal of the World Cup qualifying tournament, and the 25-year-old midfielder had lost her mom just nine months earlier. In the latest episode of NBC Sports’ women’s soccer podcast, My New Favorite Futbolista, Cox shared more about what she was feeling in that moment. “Qualifying for the World Cup makes me happy,” she said, “But I also wish my mom were here, because her big dream was to reach a World Cup.”
Rewind to May 2022. As Panama’s women’s national team started training for World Cup qualifiers, Cox’s mother, Rubiela Del Carmen Villareal, was hospitalized for severe stomach pains due to undetected advanced stomach cancer. Raiza Gutiérrez, Marta’s coach since she was seven and the assistant coach for the Panamanian team, said on the podcast, “Marta at the time didn’t want to play. Marta wanted to be by her mother’s side.” And that’s exactly where she stayed. “She was a great mother,” Cox said. “She was a beautiful woman.”
After Cox’s mom passed, she said she cried about everything – on and off the pitch. “I was distracted during the matches because everything was so raw,” she said, describing how she would play in tears. “It wasn’t easy to finish a game, lose, and be broken because of what happened with your mother or any family member. How does one even recover from such a loss?”
In this time of deep struggle, Cox said the comfort of her coaches and teammates helped. “That voice of encouragement, that desire that they gave me to not give up. Telling me, ‘We need you.’ So those words kind of filled me with strength to go out on the field and be me.” Cox also said she would talk to her mom. “Do you want me to go to the World Cup?” she would say. “Give me strength, just give me strength.”
Two months later, in July 2022, Panama was playing in a World Cup qualifying tournament in Monterrey, Mexico. In their first match, against Trinidad and Tobago, Cox scored with minutes to go until halftime. But instead of celebrating with her cheering teammates, Cox ran to the sideline, toward Gutiérrez, who handed her a white t-shirt. The shirt, which Cox wears to warm up, has a photo of her mother on it – a reminder that she’s always there with her. “Sure, I carry her in my heart, but it helps me know that she is present,” Cox said. As for that goal, which ended up winning Panama the match 1-0? “I think that goal was for my mother and for all of Panama.”
Seven months after that — in the February 2023 match against Paraguay when Cox led her team to victory with an epic bicycle kick, fulfilling her mother’s dream for her to play in the Women’s World Cup — she again celebrated with a heavy heart, crying as she held onto the white shirt.
As Cox prepares to represent Panama as team captain at the Women’s World Cup, she continues to keep the shirt – and her mother – close. “That thing where I warm up with my shirt will never, ever stop if I’m being honest. I will always be with her, whether she’s on my shirt, in my heart, in my thoughts. My mom will always be with me.”
My New Favorite Futbolista , hosted by World Cup champion Meghan Klingenberg and Mexico National Team star Janelly Farias, will introduce you to more inspiring soccer players leading up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Check out the podcast feed or watch the video version on the NBC Sports YouTube page .
2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup schedule, start time, dates, how to watch live
- When: July 20 to August 20
- Group stage kick-off times: 12:30am, 1am, 1:30am, 3am, 3:30am, 4am, 6am, 7am, 8am, 8:30am, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm (all ET)
- Location: Australia and New Zealand
- TV channels en Español: Telemundo, Universo, Peacock
- Streaming en Español: Peacock (all 64 matches)
Follow along with ProSoccerTalk and On Her Turf for the latest news, scores, storylines, and updates surrounding the 2023 World Cup, and be sure to subscribe to NBC Sports on YouTube !