From a teenage columnist in Chile to a European correspondent for ESPN, Cecilia Lagos has spent her life chasing stories, breaking barriers and making space for women in football. Her journey into sports media is a powerful testament to defiance, persistence and belief in the face of systemic exclusion.
Writing Her Own Path
Cecilia fell in love with football during the 1982 World Cup in Spain. ‘A Chilean player missed a penalty and everywhere I went, I kept hearing that word: penalty,’ she recalls. ‘I asked my dad what it meant and then I started watching the games with him. That’s how it started.’ At just 11, she decided she wanted to be a sports journalist – despite having never seen a woman doing that job before.
By 14, she had her own football column in a national newspaper. Even as doors closed later in her career, that early affirmation of her talent lit a fire that would fuel her journey.
Even though I never saw a woman before me doing it.
If anything, that pushed me harder.
A Relentless Dream
Despite facing a deeply patriarchal culture in Chile, Cecilia refused to accept limitations. She wanted to play football, write about it, live inside it. But when she tried to join her favourite club’s youth academy at age 13, she was laughed at. ‘Still, my greatest dream was to become a sports journalist,’ she says. ‘Even though I never saw a woman before me doing it. If anything, that pushed me harder.’
After studying journalism in New York and covering 9/11 as a correspondent, she returned to Chile to find a football landscape in disarray. Slowly, she rebuilt her connection to the game. A sports column led to a spot on an all-female football radio panel – a national first. ‘We weren’t talking about how handsome players were,’ she says. ‘We analysed the game seriously.’
In 2012, she became the first woman to present football highlights on a national prime-time news show in Chile. With it came violent social media abuse from fans and even colleagues. ‘No one should be abused for doing their job. But being a woman talking football in mass media? That intensifies everything,’ she says. ‘I had to learn that what they said about me spoke more about them than it did about me.’
Rooted, Yet Rising
Even after shattering milestones, Cecilia hit a ceiling in Chile. ‘No matter how good I was, I never got the opportunities I deserved. I had to leave to grow,’ she says. Seven years ago, she moved to Europe and found the fertile ground her ambition needed.
She’s since worked at both Women’s and Men’s World Cups as a content producer for FIFA, joined ESPN as a European correspondent and covered the Champions League and top-tier European football. She’s interviewed global stars like Robin Van Persie, Christiane Endler and Pernille Harder. ‘It’s tough being away from family, but I know I’m building something that can inspire others to dream big and make it happen.’
Earlier this month, Cecilia was in the US producing content for FIFA at the Club World Cup.
Trust your voice. You don’t have to see it to be it.
Just dream and then go make it real.
Fuel for the Future
Cecilia believes in the exponential potential of women’s sport. ‘The growth is unstoppable. It still doesn’t get the support it needs, but the pressure from women themselves is making change inevitable,’ she says. She notes the importance of visibility: ‘We need to be seen achieving and succeeding. If we’re seen, we exist.’
She hopes that the future of women’s sport will include tailored medical research, booming sponsorships and a stronger, more authentic connection with fans. ‘Athletes like Ilona Maher are showing us how relatability and honesty can drive real engagement.’
To continue her learning and development, Cecilia is studying the Masters in Football Business at the Johan Cruyff Institute. She wants to ensure she’s prepared to play a role in the growth in women’s football that is still yet to come.
Championing Change
From pioneering representation in Chilean media to mentoring women through the SIGA Global Mentorship Program, Cecilia’s work now includes helping other women break through. ‘Be courageous, be brave,’ she says. ‘Strive to be the best version of yourself. Promote your talents, use social media, take intentional action. No one will do it for you.’
And for women unsure if they belong in sport? Cecilia is clear: ‘Trust your voice. You don’t have to see it to be it. Just dream and then go make it real.’
Women like Cecilia are the voices changing the game – on and off the field.
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