Malaga dedicates a street to Nita Carmona, the pioneer who had to disguise herself as a man to play soccer.

The city of Málaga has inaugurated a street dedicated to Ana Carmona 'Nita' , considered the first professional female soccer player in Spain . This posthumous recognition honors the memory of a woman who, at the beginning of the 20th century, disguised herself as a man to play soccer, defying the conventions of her time. The street is located near the San Miguel Cemetery, near the Malaga neighborhood of Capuchinos , where Nita was born in 1908.

The decision to name this street after Ana Carmona Ruiz was approved by the Malaga City Council's Department of Culture in August 2023. Now, a commemorative plaque officially marks this space, cementing her legacy in the history of the city and Spanish sport.

This is not the only tribute that the Málaga City Council has dedicated to this sporting pioneer. Her figure was the subject of study in one of the Youth Department's workshops, "Formarte," where the relevance of Nita Carmona in the context of local culture and the fight for women's rights was addressed, highlighting her courage and the impact of her story.

Who was Nita Carmona?

Nita Carmona grew up in Málaga watching English sailors play football on the esplanades of the port, where her father worked as a stevedore. This early exposure to the sport ignited her passion, as sports journalist Jesús Hurtado notes in his book '75 Years of Football in Vélez' .

Nita played several matches with Sporting Club de Málaga , founded by Salesian Father Francisco Míguez. She later moved to Vélez Málaga to live with relatives, where she joined Vélez Club de Fútbol . It was at this team that she received the nickname 'Veleta' , a reflection of her agility and determination on the field.