Lourdes Moreno wears the number 10 shirt for Venezuela, in addition to the captain's armband. Her team's 4-1 win over Paraguay at the Women's U-20 Sudamericano was for her in particular a very special game…
Lourdes Moreno wears the number 10 shirt for Venezuela, in addition to the captain's armband. Her team's 4-1 win over Paraguay at the Women's U-20 Sudamericano was for her in particular a very special game.
Kika, as the back of her jersey says, spoke with CONMEBOL.com about her beginnings in football and warned that "we are seeking to qualify."
So how did you get your start in football?
I started at age five. In the village where I lived, I always played with my brothers, with guys. Then, from the age of 12 I started to play with girls and at age 13 I was called to the national team. My first Sudamericano was in 2012. Then in 2013 we were champions in Paraguay with the U-17 team and then we went to the Women's Under-17 World Cup in Costa Rica, where we went to the quarterfinals. It was a golden generation.
What experiences did you gain from plyaing in a World Cup?
It was an amazing experience. They were great rivals and it was the first time a South American country could reach this instance (Venezuela reached the quarterfinals). The experience of also wearing the captain's armband was very overwhelming and I took that responsibility. Here at the U-20 we have to get the same. We have a winning team, I'm very confident in my teammates, we seek classification.
What is your best quality on the pitch?
My thing is to give assists, to score goals or give it to a teammate to score.
Since you mentioned scoring goals … The goal against Paraguay, did you dedicate it to someone special?
Yes. My mother died this year. A promise that I made her is that I would qualify to the World Cup. Slowly I am fulfilling that promise. I felt that goal deep inside me so i screamed. I know that from heaven my mom looks down on me and is proud of what I do.
What role does football play in this loss?
After the loss of my mother, my spirits fell, I lost my rhythm, I didn't play for a long time. But I remembered that she was always there to support me and I decided to start over. I took football as a relief, distraction and found support here.
One of your roles as captain is to keep the group together. How hard is this?
Yes there are different personalities. We must talk and agree. It really is difficult to lead a group of women.
Finally…how do you think Venezuela is doing in this tournament?
I think we will qualify. We have a very good team, we have shown that.
CONMEBOL.com
