Leicy María Santos Herrera

Leicy Santos's career carries a footnote: when Atlético Madrid signed her from Independiente Santa Fe in 2019, the fee for her federation rights came to just $8,000, a figure that included an 8% commission owed to the player herself. It was a number for a midfielder who would go on to make over 100 appearances for the Spanish club and win the Supercopa Femenina in 2021 and the Copa de la Reina in 2023.

Santos came up through Club Besser in Bogotá before a spell of college soccer in the United States, at Iowa Central Community College, where she won the NJCAA National Championship in 2015. She turned professional back home with Independiente Santa Fe in 2017 and was named MVP of the inaugural Liga Femenina season as the club won the title.

She joined the Washington Spirit in July 2024 on a free transfer and made an immediate impression: in her debut for the club, she scored a goal and provided an assist, becoming only the fifth player in NWSL history to do so.

With Colombia, Santos made her debut in 2014 and has earned more than 58 caps, scoring 16 goals. She won gold at the 2019 Pan American Games and was a runner-up at the Copa América Femenina in both 2014 and 2022, later adding a silver medal in 2025. At the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, she scored a lob against England in the quarter-finals. She also represented Colombia at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Her individual honours include the IFFHS CONMEBOL Best XI in 2022 and the EFE award for Most Valuable Latin American Player in December 2020.