Salgado’s WAFCON Redemption Story
Banyana Banyana forward Gabriela Salgado, who previously faced the heartbreak of injury, is now thrilled to be part of the squad for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
Banyana Banyana have successfully advanced to the quarter-finals, topping their group. They are set to play Senegal in the quarter-final match at Honneur Stadium in Oujda, with kick-off at 21:00.
The 27-year-old missed out on the victorious 2022 WAFCON squad due to an injury, making her current inclusion in the team a true honor and an opportunity to represent her country.
“Of course, it was very disappointing. I didn’t expect that to happen, but it’s football, it’s part of the game,” said Salgado.
“Very heartbreaking, but happy to be where I am now, it took a lot of work to get to the squad and make sure I am at the right level to be here. I had a lot of support from my family; they always stood by me and made sure that I kept pushing. I never gave up on my dream.”
“So just being here is a real honour, and also I couldn’t have done it without God. God has been by my side; he strengthened me, and he helped through this process. I’m just happy to be here.”
The JVW attacker has expressed how she’s been looking to play at this tournament, adding that she hopes she will get more minutes.
“This is my first WAFCON, obviously taking the pitch was incredible, stepping into the field, taking in that moment. I knew I was hungry to play, something I’ve been looking forward to, so I went out there and gave my best,” Salgado commented.
“Hopefully, I can get more minutes and just make it a memorable tournament and come back with a cup.”
Despite people having a lot of expectations from the defending champions, Salgado highlights that they don’t feel pressured; however, they are taking it one game at a time.
“We have to take it game by game,” said Salgado. “Football is a game of 90 minutes, anything can happen, so we can’t rush ahead when we still have to deal with what is in front of us now. So we’re just focusing on each game as it comes, dealing with it, and just taking our steps slowly to the final.
“We know it’s big expectations, but I don’t think we feel the pressure. As I’ve said, it’s football, we just have to go out, plan well, and make sure we give and deliver on the field on the day that we play,” Salgado added.
