When Scarlett Camberos learned she had become the first Mexican woman nominated for the Ballon d’Or, the first person she told was her mother.
The Club América forward was in her apartment, going through her usual morning routine and getting ready for training, when messages began flooding her phone.
“I popped my head out of my bathroom. I was like, ‘Mom, I think I just got nominated for the Ballon d’Or’,” Camberos told The Athletic as she was getting ready for Monday’s ceremony in London.
“What is that?” her mother asked. Camberos had to explain what the football world’s most prestigious award was about. It was an amusingly ordinary family moment for an extraordinary achievement, one whose significance Camberos has taken weeks to comprehend fully.
“That day it was such a shock,” she said. “Slowly, even today, I get overwhelmed with emotions. I start crying randomly on some random days because it’s like so … Yeah, I mean, a nomination like that, it just motivates you, and it’s just a reflection of all the work that you do on the field.”
On Monday, the 26-year-old forward found herself preparing for a very different kind of evening: her first Ballon d’Or ceremony in London.
“It was nerve-racking; a lot was going on, lots of cameras and people yelling at me!” she recalled afterwards. Not knowing what to do as photographers shouted to get her attention was disorienting, but she managed. “It was not as bad as I thought; it went smoothly.”
Camberos’ nomination represents more than recognition of an outstanding individual season: she scored 27 goals in 47 appearances, helped her team clinch the Liga MX Femenil title during Clausura 2026, won a Campeon de Campeonas title, and earned a CONCACAF W Champions Cup trophy, where she also claimed the Best Player Award. Her performance helped put her among the 30 women shortlisted for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor.
At the end of the night, she unlocked another achievement: becoming the highest-ranked Mexican player, men’s or women’s, in Ballon d’Or history at number 21 on the list. But her selection matters beyond the numbers.
For decades, the Ballon d’Or was almost exclusively associated with men’s football, with the women’s prize not introduced until 2018. Its history has also been heavily shaped by European football, where many of the world’s most prominent clubs and players are based. Camberos’ inclusion is a breakthrough for a player competing in Liga MX Femenil.
“As the first Mexican woman to be on that list, it’s incredible, and I’m proud of myself, and I’m proud of Mexico,” Camberos said.
“The soccer over there, it keeps growing every season, every year, and I’m just glad that people all over the world are turning to look at our country and see the competitive players that we have and the great players that we have and the talent that’s there.”
She was also quick to share the recognition with those who helped her reach this stage. “I’m here as like a … I’m the face of it, but standing behind my national team team-mates, my Club América team-mates that have contributed to the amazing season that we’ve had and the year that we’ve had,” she said. “I wouldn’t be here, and Club América would not be here without all of them.”
The nomination also comes at a time when women’s soccer is increasingly commanding a larger place in the global sports conversation. Camberos sees the Ballon d’Or itself as a reflection of that transformation. “It’s incredible how fast women’s soccer is progressing,” she said. “There are incredible players here. The other 29 nominees are all worth winning the Ballon d’Or.”
Ahead of the ceremony, Camberos had another important decision to make: what to wear on one of football’s most glamorous red carpets. She had several options, but the final decision came down to two things: comfort and identity. She chose Macrēz, a Mexican designer. The strapless dress was red, with fabric that appeared to shift toward green at the bottom in the light.
“Red is a big color in Mexican culture, and also the fabric in the light turns green toward the bottom, which is really cool and representative of Mexico,” she said.
Her decision to wear a Mexican designer is no surprise. Born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents, Camberos grew up navigating two cultures before ultimately choosing to represent Mexico internationally. Her relationship with her family’s heritage has remained central to her identity, and she understands the complicated relationship that can come with belonging to two countries.
“As a Mexican American, it could be hard to feel accepted by one culture or the other because you don’t exactly feel 100 per cent in one or the other,” she said. “But I love that ever since I’ve been in Mexico, with the people that have embraced me and loved me, I think that’s beautiful because it’s my home country, my family’s home country.”
Her parents accompanied her to the ceremony. “They’re super proud of me, and that’s all I wanted growing up,” she said. “That my parents and my entire family, my grandparents, would be proud.”
For Camberos, representing Mexico on the Ballon d’Or stage was another way to honor the choice she made years earlier to embrace her family’s roots. And she hopes the significance of her appearance extends well beyond her own career.
“It’s really, really important that Mexican little girls or Mexican American girls could look at me now and say that’s completely possible, and I want to be like Scarlett or better,” she said. “Now they see that as achievable, that’s really important, and I’m so happy that that’s possible.”
According to her agent, Guillermo Zamarripa, co-founder and co-CEO of TMJ (a global sports agency focused exclusively on women’s soccer representation), Camberos’ path to pro leagues has not been easy. “During her time at UC Irvine, she won the Offensive Player of the Year, but her college program did not compete within the D1 landscape, so even though she was on the radar of the NWSL draft, no one picked her,” he said.
TMJ eventually helped secure her a one-year deal with Club América. “By the end of her first season, she was already a constant starter. And the club was already talking to me about renewing her contract,” added Zamarripa.
After a season with the Mexican club, Camberos went on to play for Angel City FC and then Bay FC in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, respectively, before re-joining Club América in 2024. The striker renewed her contract with the club last January until June 2029.
For someone who had spent years working toward the highest level of the sport, Monday night at London Palladium moved quickly. Seated next to Pachuca Femenil forward Charlyn Corral, a fellow Mexican who won the Best Striker award, she had barely time to take in her surroundings.
As she left the venue — happy, exhausted, hungry, and still processing the whirlwind of the evening — she was clear about one thing.
“Obviously, as a little girl, my ambition as a soccer player was always to be one of the best. But I think that went right over my head at a gala this important and prestigious as the Ballon d’Or,” she said.
“But I’m so grateful to be here; it feels like I have achieved a goal I did not even know I had.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Mexico Men's national team, Liga MX, NWSL, Women's Soccer, FIFA Women's World Cup, Ballon d'Or
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