Holguin becomes first Brentford player to represent a South American nation | OneFootball

When Paula Holguin came off the bench for Peru Women against El Salvador, she made Brentford and Peru history.

The Brentford Women’s striker became the first Bees player to represent a South American nation at senior level, and the first English-born woman to represent Peru at international level.

Holguin spent two weeks in a training camp with the national team during her first call-up and had to take some time to adjust to the South American style.

“It was so different. Mainly the aggression behind the game. I feel like if any of my team-mates came to Brentford, there would be a lot of yellow cards flying about!” she joked.

“The style is also more expressive; you have time to take more touches on the ball. They allow you to dribble into the space.

“In these two weeks, I've developed my football a lot, as well as my mentality. I've got a little taste of how it feels to be professional and I want more.

“I'm going to do everything in my power to get called up again. It might not be straight away, but I'm very motivated. I would do anything to wear that shirt again because it was the most incredible feeling ever.”

The Brentford striker's Peruvian-born parents moved to the UK when they were 18, but instilled a sense of pride in their culture. A heartfelt moment came when Holguin told them that she was going to fulfil a lifelong dream of wearing the red and white of her nation’s flag.

“It really hit me when I was singing the national anthem,” she explained.

“My whole family drove four hours south from Lima to Chincha, so I had a massive crowd of people coming to watch me.

“I saw my parents there and, even though I wasn't in the starting XI, just hearing that anthem and looking at my surroundings and thinking, ‘I've actually got this shirt on’.

“It was a surreal feeling and, honestly, I felt a sense of pride in myself. I knew I'd worked so hard to be there and every player dreams of getting to the national team.

“I had tears in my eyes. I saw the camera lady coming to me and I'm like, ‘No, no, no’... I was the only one crying!”

Paula made her debut as a substitute, coming on for the final 20 minutes in a 4-0 defeat against El Salvador Women.

“I want to see my GPS stats because, I swear, when they told me to warm up, I could feel my heart beating outside my chest,” she remembered viscerally.

“Once I went on the pitch, the nerves all just went away. I had built real connections with the group, so playing with them was a true honour.

“The scoreline wasn't what we wanted when I came on, but I feel like I did well and made an impact.

“I spoke to the coaches, and they said they were very impressed. They told me I have a body type that in Peru, you don't find. I’m tall and strong and I need to learn to use that effectively.”

You may have heard of the classic initiation songs that happen in sports teams but, in Peru, they do things differently.

“We had to dance,” Paula laughed, “I definitely impressed in that respect.”

“Everyone was so shocked at how Peruvian I was. I'm born and raised in London, but I did a traditional Afro-Peruvian dance called 'Festejo' and they were saying, ‘How can you dance like that?’

“I love everything about the country: the food, the music, the history, everything. That’s down to the way my parents raised me.”

Despite being the first English-born player to represent Peru Women, Holguin says she clicked with the squad almost instantly.

“I’ve made friends for life - we have two of the most important things in common: we love Peru and we love football,” she exclaimed.

“That is just beautiful to be surrounded by people who are so like-minded, and who understand you in every sense of the word.

“I shared a room with Raquel Bilcape. She was a key member of the team and plays for a club in Arequipa called FBC Melgar.

“I got really close to her and she taught me so much from her experience. If I did something wrong at training, she would calm me down and tell me to keep going.

“There was another player from Spain called Claudia Dominguez who was actually on the flight out with me and we didn’t know. We really got on and, on the way home, we travelled together.

“I've offered my house in London to absolutely everyone, so I'm sure I'll get visitors at some point.”

It wasn’t just a personal milestone for Holguin. When she stepped onto the pitch for Peru she became the first Brentford player in history to represent a South American nation at senior level.

“That accolade is incredible to me. It's insane for me and I'm very grateful,” she said, shocked at hearing the stat for the first time.

“Brentford have been instrumental to my success, so I’m happy that I got the chance to represent the club on the continent.

“Carly [Williams] has been a great coach; I've learned so much and I’ve still got so much more to give.”

For Holguin, a pride in Peru was ingrained in her from birth, and she was blown away by the support from her parents’ homeland.

“It was a great experience for me but, in my eyes, it’s mostly for my family and the experience I was able to give them, and hopefully I can give them again,” she said.

“I was in a newspaper at one point. My uncle sent a picture in the family group chat. He was just reading it and there was a picture of me with the national team, which was quite cool.

“I was getting uncles, aunties, cousins, checking up on me and sharing literally every photo I was in.

“I already knew it, but it opened my eyes to how blessed I am to have a family like that. I can't wait for the next family reunion; I've given my parents bragging rights for life!”

Holguin worked underneath head coach Antonio Spinelli, who took over the team in 2025 and has brought a new philosophy in bringing players from the Peruvian diaspora into the national team set-up.

“I'm truly grateful and I've cherished every single moment of it,” she beamed.

“Spinelli was amazing to work with, but the whole set-up was incredible. Training was intense but I got into the flow and loved every minute.

“I've learned so much about my body as well because they had a whole medical team who did lots of tests.”

It hasn’t been a straightforward path for Holguin to achieve her dream. When she first joined Brentford, she suffered a bad injury.

“I was injured straight away, and I didn't play at all in my first season; any other club could have just released me,” she recalled.

“Since I came back, I feel like I've developed my game so much whilst at Brentford. I think there's a direct correlation with me being here and making my debut for Peru.

“I’ve always said that I feel like I'm in debt to Brentford, and that's why I take it so personally whenever I get on the pitch.

“The club has been very supportive throughout my journey, so I’ll always do what I can to bring success to the team.”

La Blanquirroja now prepare for FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers against Paraguay and Uruguay in mid-April.

“If we do well in this round of fixtures, we’ll be in the running to qualify for the first time in our history,” explained Holguin.

“I’ve told everyone that whether I'm selected or if I go as a fan, if we make it, I'll be there 100 per cent.”