Santos made her full international debut for Colombia in 2014.
Early life
Santos was born on 16 May 1996 in the town of San Sebastián, a municipality of Santa Cruz de Lorica, Córdoba, Colombia. She was encouraged to play soccer from a young age by her father, Elizaith Santos, who was also a soccer player and previously a member of the Córdoba Under-20 National Team.[3] Santos's mother initially did not like the idea of her playing soccer, and insisted that she help clean their home instead of playing.[4]
Santos played on boys' teams as a child and was the only girl playing at tournaments. One afternoon, César Correa, a friend of her father's, saw her play and recommended that she travel to Bogotá so she could try out for Club Besser, who was looking for female players.[3][4] After a call from the Colombia women's national team and gathering the support of her family and friends to finance the trip, she moved to Bogotá with Correa. After six months of training with Club Besser, her parents joined her in Bogotá. Despite various difficulties, she and coach Pedro Rodríguez formed a women's team for Club Besser. Santos's stellar performances led to call-ups for the Bogotá National Team and the Colombia women's national under-17 football team.[5] She remained at Club Besser until 2016.[3]
In 2016, the founding of the Colombian Women's Football League was announced, along with a new alliance between Santa Fe and the amateur women's club Future Soccer with the goal of forming a professional team for the new league. Santos began playing for Santa Fe in the National Women's Club Championship in the Amateur Division of Colombian Soccer, a precursor to the full professional league. Santa Fe went undefeated through 26 games and reached the semifinals of the championship; Santos was considered one of the best players on the team.[9] Thanks to her outstanding performance, she was called up to the Colombia women's national team for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[10]
Santos debuted in the Colombian Women's Football League on 19 February 2017, in a 3–0 victory against La Equidad.[11] On 26 February, she scored her first goal and first hat trick in a professional league.[3] Santa Fe ended up winning the first-ever women's professional championship in front of 33,327 spectators at Estadio El Campín, a record for women's soccer in Colombia; Santos emerged as one of the great figures of the team.[12][13][14]
As national champions, Santa Fe represented Colombia at the 2017 Copa Libertadores. In the group stage, they defeated the Bolivian Club Deportivo ITA 9–2, with Santos scoring two goals. They were ultimately eliminated from the tournament by Corinthians in their final group stage match.[15]
In 2018, Santa Fe began their season with a defeat, but roared back with a massive 10–0 victory in their second game, with Santos scoring 4 goals.[16] The team finished the season ranked first in the league. In the quarterfinals, they defeated Cortuluá with goals from Santos in the first and second legs. Santa Fe fell to Atlético Nacional in the semifinals.[17]
After the championship, a conflict arose between the Colombian Soccer Federation and the women's professional and national team players after complaints of sexual and labor abuse, along with homophobic and misogynistic behavior. The professional league was briefly canceled as a result. Santos was the spokesperson for the professional players in meetings with the Government of Colombia and the directors of the soccer clubs, who eventually agreed to continue the professional league.[18][19]
In 2019, Santos only played two games for Santa Fe after scheduling conflicts with her call-up for the 2019 Pan American Games and her transfer to Atlético Madrid. In her final game for the club, there was a celebration in her honor.[20]
Club Deportivo Generaciones Palmiranas (2016)
After playing in the 2016 Summer Olympics, she returned to Bogotá, where she temporarily joined Club Deportivo Generaciones Palmiranas to play in the 2016 Copa Libertadores Femenina. She debuted on 7 December 2016 against Bolivian club San Martín de Porres. On 10 December 2016, she scored a hat trick in a 7–0 victory over Uruguayan club Club Nacional.[21] She also played in the draw against Brazilian club Foz Cataratas, which eliminated the Colombian team. After the tournament, she returned to Santa Fe to prepare for the first women's professional league in Colombia.
Atlético Madrid (2019–2024)
On 4 August 2019, Atlético Madrid announced that they had signed Santos for the 2019–2020 season.[22] She debuted on 7 September 2019 in a 1–0 win against Sporting de Huelva at Estadio Nueva Condomina, coming on for Toni Duggan in the second half.[23] She scored her first goal for Atlético Madrid on 26 October 2019 in San Sebastián, contributing to a 4–1 victory against Real Sociedad. After starting the season as a substitute, injuries to players likes Virginia Torrecilla and Toni Duggan led to her becoming a regular starter. She played in 20 league games, scored 5 goals and provided one assist before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She played in the semifinal of the Supercopa, in which they were defeated by FC Barcelona. Santos was considered one of the club's most outstanding players that year, and the club decided to extend her contract.[24][25]
For the first games of the 2020–21 season, she was a substitute due to recovering from COVID-19, but quickly became a starter again. In December 2020, the EFE named her the Most Valuable Latin American player.[26] On 15 December 2020, she became the first Colombian woman to score in the UEFA Women's Champions League; her goal came during the second leg of their round of 32 match against Servette, a game that ended in a 5–0 victory for Atlético Madrid.[27][28] In January 2021, they won the Supercopa despite their poor results in league play.[29]
During the 2021–22 season, Santos was initially a substitute, but gradually established herself as a starter. Atlético Madrid finished the season in fourth place, one point away from third place, which would have qualified them for the UEFA Women's Champions League. They were finalists in the Supercopa, which they lost to FC Barcelona. In the Copa de la Reina, they lost in the Round of 16 against Sporting de Huelva. The IFFHS chose Santos as part of their CONMEBOL Best XI for 2022.[30]
The team was inconsistent during the 2022–23 season and changed coaches, ultimately finishing fourth in the league. Santos suffered various injuries and hardly played in the second half of the season. In the Copa de la Reina, they won the final against Real Madrid in a penalty shootout after coming back from being down 2–0 in stoppage time; Santos did not play due to injury.[31]
In the 2023–24 season, she continued to be a starter and performed well in the first half of the season. In January, the team was eliminated from the Supercopa, and they dropped points in several key matches in February, falling further down the standings. Santos continued to deal with muscle injuries. After being eliminated from the Supercopa, Manolo Cano was replaced as head coach by Arturo Ruiz, who had been coaching the reserve team. They earned several consecutive victories without Santos, and finally achieved their goal of qualifying for the Champions League after finishing third in the league.[32]
Washington Spirit (2024–)
On 2 April 2024, Washington Spirit announced that they had signed Santos to a three-year contract and that she would join the team after the conclusion of the 2023–24 Liga F season.[33]
International career
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