Besides being a World Cup star, Sarina Bolden is a relatable Zillennial
Photos from Sarina Bolden and FIFA Women’s World Cup/Instagram
“Philippines, you’re gonna remember this team, and you’re going to see us in the World Cup. Don’t forget about us, because we’re coming back.”
This was what Sarina Bolden said after losing against South Korea at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup semifinals in 2022.
Fast forward to present day, the Filipino-American star player’s words have become prophetic. Our women’s football national team has indeed earned a spot at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. In fact, they already bagged their first-ever World Cup win on July 25 against New Zealand—mainly thanks to Bolden’s historic kick.
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But who exactly is this 27-year-old prior to becoming a World Cup™ star and football history maker? Two words: Relatable Zillennial.
Sarina Bolden started out as a high school varsity player
Born to a Filipina mother and an American father in Santa Clara, California, Bolden’s football journey was nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn’t dramatic or glamorous—but neither was it an overnight success. As with the majority of aspiring athletes, she kicked off her sporting career at a fairly young age.
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She clearly had the potential, and this was confirmed during her time as a varsity player at Milpitas High School. She led the team in various leagues and was once named the Milpitas Junior Athlete of the Year.
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The Fil-Am footballer then continued her academic and sporting pursuits at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles, California. There she played as a forward with an impressive tally of 18 career goals.
A wanderer—literally and metaphorically
While making a name for herself in the college scene, Bolden received an unexpected opportunity: to join the Philippine national team. This marked a significant turning point in her career.
Since joining the team in 2018, she has already played in 37 international matches and scored 22 goals—prior to the World Cup, at least. She made her senior international debut at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, where she scored the match-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Jordan.
From that point forward, Bolden’s football career became a globetrotting adventure. She signed her first professional club contract with Sandvikens IF in Sweden shortly after graduating from LMU. She also played for teams in Taiwan, the United States, and Japan before finding herself playing for Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers, her current team.
Poster child of Zillennial humor
But the Fil-Am star player’s life isn’t confined to football pitches. Contrary to what most people probably think, she has a very relatable personality off the field—and her Instagram is solid proof of that.
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Just like any other student navigating college life, it seems that memes are one of her coping mechanisms. One time, she posted a meme of her own face with the caption: “Me every time my professors say ‘might’ or ‘could’ in regards to what will be on their final…”
Bolden also shared some snapshots from her random stroll around Japan and wrote: “Serving you fierce cosplay realness, how am I doing, judges?”
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In sum, Bolden may be a World Cup history-maker now. But she’s also your typical Zillennial who stressed over school backlogs and missed deadlines, and resorted to silly memes for emotional support (read: as a cry for help).
Besides, if her IG bio that states, “I just wanna have fun [and be] gay” isn’t convincing enough, I don’t know what to tell you anymore.
Oh, and have we mentioned that she’s a cat mom and an Amy Winehouse fan?
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