There’s an old saying of, ‘Never meet your heroes’, the message being that the person you long admired may not turn out to be as great as you think. Luckily, Cecilio Waterman never got the memo.
It was March 2025 and the veteran had just ripped home a game-winner for Panama against USA in the Concacaf Nations League semi-finals. Sitting just behind the goal where Waterman had deposited his shot was legendary France striker Thierry Henry, who was there on television duty for CBS. Waterman never hesitated, racing to the delightfully shocked Frenchman and exclaiming, “You are my idol!”
Now aged 34, Waterman is making the most of every chance he gets, especially after going six years from 2013-19 without receiving a national team call-up. Whether it is notching a brace in a pivotal qualifier against Guatemala or celebrating goals with a former world champion, the Panamanian goal-getter stands out, telling FIFA that he hopes to do the same later this year at the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
Cecilio Waterman: I just try to live my life normally, as I always have. But in Panama, when I went on vacation, people showed me a lot of affection. You realize how much people appreciate your efforts. It’s surprising. Sometimes it doesn’t hit you that Panama are going to the World Cup. You just try to keep your feet on the ground. Now is the time to enjoy these months and prepare in the best way possible to arrive in great shape.
The qualifiers were a battle. Many big-name teams and World Cup regulars were left out. We knew that Mexico, USA and Canada weren’t in qualifying, so it was a chance for everyone and we had to take advantage. Qualifying was tough for us at first. People on the outside said it was going to be easy, but we knew we had to go play in some tough places, and that the home games would be hard too. Thankfully we were able to do it.
We saw that Suriname has beaten El Salvador, so [against Guatemala] we had to win no matter what. There was no other choice. We were on the bus and I said to myself, ‘Why don’t we get a game where we’re winning 2-0 in the first 20 minutes?’ In the match it was great to have those two scoring chances and finish them. We knew it was going to be a tough game, they pulled level with us [2-2], but luckily [Jose] Fajardo was able to score the third and give us an important win.
It’s priceless. When you’re at your club, you’re there all of the time. Clubs keep you in good shape so you can make it to the national team. But scoring a goal with your national team, knowing that you are representing millions of people from your country, it’s priceless. It’s a beautiful euphoria.
Yes, one always has to dream and stay positive. But first, I have to make the list! But why not dream? Ever since I was a boy I dreamed of being in a World Cup. When I was a kid, I was always outside running around and then watching the matches of countries like France and Brazil. And now, just imagining being there and living it would be crazy. I think it’s the most beautiful thing in football.
It was a very painful moment because Panama fans would remind me of the goals I missed, but the truth is that there were some very good forwards there at the time like [Luis] Tejada and Blas [Perez]. But I was never thinking about the national team, because if I thought I was going to be on it and then they didn’t call me, it would feel like a slap in the face every time the list came out. So I never thought about it. I thank ‘Tolo’ Gallego, who called me up, and then coach [Thomas] Christiansen. I take my hat off to [Christiansen] because I was injured and playing very little in my club, but he called me and gave me confidence. That gave me that space to breathe in the national team, so I’m very grateful.
He’s good at reading matches. He tells us what’s going to happen, and where we might have to handle pressure. I think that makes it easier for us players when we know what’s going to happen, that it’s been analyzed. We like to go forward, we control the ball well and the coach always gives us tools, no matter who plays, and everyone is convinced that it will go well. On top of that, we have a great group that supports each other.
They are opponents with great stature, but in every sense I think the gap has closed. I think we can use Costa Rica as an example for when they have gone to World Cups. They have competed, and so now we have to continue that and go to the World Cup and compete and make things hard on teams. And who said we can’t take the three points in a game? I’m convinced we can because it’s football, anything can happen.
They are world-class players, so of course it’s motivating to see those guys on the field. But we as players can’t be thinking, ‘Oh, there’s Kane, there’s Modric.’ It’s football. After the game we can ask for photos, but we have to compete.
The night before the match in the hotel, the people from Concacaf asked me who whose jersey I’d like to have and I said Thierry Henry’s. They said that he was going to be at the match, so I said that I’d like to take a photo with him when the match ended. I started as a substitute and then entered with about 10 or 15 minutes left. I scored the goal and [Henry] was right there. I watched him as a boy and he was always my idol. I always liked him, and so I saw him there and went to hug and celebrate with him, having no idea the impact it would have. It was just instinct. I didn’t seek it out; it just happened.
I would be just like ‘Titi’ was with me. He’s a humble person and that’s worth a lot. Right there and then I learned that if it happened to me, I would give everything to the boy, just like Henry gave me a jersey. I have it framed in the living room in my house, so I would give everything to that child and tell him thank you.
