She walked alongside Mbappé, delivered the ball, and represented Chile before the world… at 12 years old. 🥹🇨🇱 Galia Romero left Viña del Mar at 12 years old, with Down syndrome and a dream that few people ever get to touch in life. 🌍
On June 23, 2026, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, this student from Escuela República de Ecuador walked to the center of the field at the 2026 World Cup as the Official Ball Carrier in the France vs. Iraq match.
She greeted the players of both teams one by one, including Kylian Mbappé, and handed the ball to Canadian referee Drew Fischer before the opening whistle.
France won 3-0, but the moment that spread the most that night was not a goal: it was her. Galia got there thanks to a contest organized by the Miradas Compartidas Foundation, dedicated to people with disabilities, and traveled with her mother to experience something that is already part of the history of Chilean football. 🇨🇱✨
Her school posted it on Instagram, and the image went far: a girl who did not need to score any goal for all of Chile to feel she was a champion.
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