Ballon d’Or winner Vicky Lopez pays tribute to late Nigerian mom, Joy Felix

“Everything I’ve accomplished, I owe to you, so thank you for teaching me never to give up.”

Barcelona midfielder Vicky López, winner of the Women’s Kopa Trophy for the world’s best under-21 player, continues to honour her late Nigerian mother, Joy Felix, Pulse Sports Nigeria reports.

López, born in Madrid to a Spanish father and Nigerian mother, lost her mother to a brain tumour in 2018, when she was 11. She often points to the sky after scoring in remembrance. She dedicated her 2025 Kopa Trophy to her mother, and displayed the Nigerian flag on her boots after Barcelona’s Champions League triumph in May.

López plays for Spain, though her Nigerian roots remain central to her identity, QED.ng reports.