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Manuela Vanegas talks about her football journey as she settles into life in the WSL

2026-02-18T09:00+00:00

Manuela Vanegas scored her first Albion goal against West Ham earlier this month. 📷Kyle Hemsley.

What began your love of football?

I grew up around football. My dad (Hector) and my brother (Franky) both played and I wanted to join in with them. In my town, Antioquia close to Medellin, we love football! At five-years-old I knew I wanted to play football.

Every day I worked hard to achieve my dream of becoming a professional footballer and I was the first in my family to achieve this.

Who were your football idols when you were growing up?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Marta (Vieira da Silva) were my idols when I was growing up. I had the opportunity to play against Marta when I was 18 years old.

It was during my first international tournament with Colombia, the Copa America Femenina in 2018.

That match was an amazing experience, and she is a legend of the game. I spoke to her afterwards, told her how much I loved her and that she is the best!

It was inspiring to be up against such a great player and extremely motivating when I was younger.

What is it like to represent your country Colombia on the international stage?

It is an amazing feeling to represent your country and an opportunity to improve women’s football back home. When you hear the national anthem, it is a beautiful moment.

I love my country, I love my people and I am proud to be from Colombia. We need more Colombian people in the city of Brighton!

Albion take on West Ham again on Sunday in the FA Cup fifth round. 📷Kyle Hemsley

“We have amazing, very talented Colombian players. Every year, more Colombian footballers move to other countries to play in the best leagues in the world.

Across places like Europe, America and Spain there is great representation. It also helps improve the national team because we are playing against the best players in the world.

How does it feel to play in the WSL?

England is one of the best leagues in the world, for both women and men. Some of the most talented players are here, and the level of their ability is amazing.

I am very happy and excited to be playing in England because it is a great place to improve my football and achieve my dreams.

All my teammates are amazing players and lovely people off the pitch. I have a good relationship with everyone; I spend time with Chiamaka (Nnadozie), Aisha (Masaka) and Carla (Camacho). I can speak Spanish with Carla which is nice.

How does it feel to be getting more minutes for Albion after your injury?

I am happy because last year I was injured, so it feels good playing with the team regularly. We have amazing players and a strong team; it is great being more involved.

The most important thing is we are together as a group and hopefully we can get back to winning ways on Sunday against Arsenal.

“I want to help my team as much as I can in training, on the pitch, wherever I can assist.”

What is the mood ahead of the return game against West Ham on Sunday?

We were all very disappointed to lose in the league to them. To go 2-0 up and then concede three goals right at the end of the game was disappointing. We know what to expect on Sunday - and what we have to do better. We have to make sure we do it.