Football does not always require brilliance, but Lizbeth Ovalle always serves it up anyway. With her back to goal, she received a cross from Jenni Hermoso, twisted sumptuously in mid-air and connected with the ball with her heel, sending a looping first-time effort into the top corner.
With a disarming naturalness in response to the masterpiece that she had just produced, she explained the goal that opened Tigres’ victory over Chivas in Liga MX Femenil, which she jokingly nicknamed Camaroncin (Little Shrimp), and has now earned her the FIFA Marta Award: “I don’t know how I actually did it.”
Both the goal and the quote sum her up to a tee. La Maga (The Magician) is not only evident in her technical gestures, but also in her relaxed way of downplaying the extraordinary. The Mexican plays in a fluid way without resorting to grand speeches, while showcasing the same spontaneity that she uses to explain a moment of magic that has already been seen all around the world.
Football remains a source of enjoyment for her, especially now that she has crossed the border to compete in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for Orlando Pride alongside stars such as Marta herself and Barbra Banda.
Behind that apparent nonchalance, however, is a footballer who understands the game and makes split-second decisions, as she explained in an interview with FIFA a few weeks ago: “I’m a player who finds spontaneous solutions in different situations. If a ball comes where I can’t turn because I have a defender breathing down my neck, I might try a little back-heel or something different.” Sometimes it works and goes down in history, while at other times it does not come off, which is also fine.
That boldness, underpinned by honed talent and a sharp reading of the game, has seen her share the dressing room with players that she once admired only from afar. “I only watched Marta on TV, I followed her when I was younger, but I never imagined playing with her. Now being able to share a dressing room with her has been incredible for me,” she added in that interview, when that goal had not yet made her only the second footballer to receive the Marta Award.
The goal and the recognition are now intertwined in a year that marked a turning point in her career – 2025 has been a year of change for Ovalle. She finally moved abroad after being sought after by many clubs, and is now adapting to a different league and tempo. However, it also marks the end of her time at Tigres, the club she represented for eight years, won nine trophies with, and made her debut for at the same time as the inception of Liga MX Femenil, which has continued to flourish ever since.
Even after crossing the border, her footprint remained with Tigres, as the Mexican giants went on to lift their seventh championship with her cheering them on from the stands. She became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and it was there that her magic always found the freedom to astonish.
When asked which animal she would like to be reincarnated as, she answered “a chameleon”. It is hard to find a more fitting image for a footballer willing to leave her comfort zone in search of glory in unfamiliar territory. While chasing her own professional growth, she is also pursuing a greater objective: helping Mexico go beyond their limits and return to the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, a goal that has eluded them over the past two cycles.
At 26, Ovalle does not consider herself a veteran, but she embraces the responsibility that comes with a long journey with El Tri, going back to the youth ranks. She is one of the team’s leaders and inspires the generations pushing hard to take over in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, La Maga is tasked with changing history on the road to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ under head coach Pedro López.
The winger’s present in football and this remarkable goal, which is now recognised worldwide, are an invitation to others to try without fear of failure. Ovalle plays with purpose, creates openings at ease and finds the net with the same determination with which she has made decisions about her career and stood by them along the way.
Her journey of constant struggle is already inspiring others.
