1. She has international pedigree
Camila Sáez is an international stalwart, having represented Chile on 71 occasions, and scored six goals.
Born in El Meló in Chile’s Valparaíso region, she started all three group-stage ties for Chile at the 2010 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals in Trinidad and Tobago at just 15. Soon after, she made her senior debut for her country as a 17-year-old, coming on as a substitute in Chile’s 2-0 defeat by Romania in the Algarve Cup in March 2011.
In her illustrious career with La Roja Femenina, she has consistently been one of the first names on the team sheet, featuring in a number of major tournaments, including the 2018 Copa América Femenina, the 2020 Olympic Games and the 2023 Pan American Games.
She started all three group-stage ties for Chile at their first-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in France in 2019, playing an integral role in their 2-0 victory over Thailand.
Awarded silver medals at both the South American Games in 2014 and the Pan American Games in 2023, her international experience will provide stability to West Ham United’s defence.
2. She's a winner
Camila Sáez brings with her a winner’s mentality to east London.
In her five-and-a-half years with Chilean club Colo-Colo between 2012-17, she won five Clausura and four Apertura Championship titles - the domestic season is split into two sections, the Opening (Apetura) and Closing (Clausura) - and lifted three Copa de Campeonas titles.
Sáez’s insatiable appetite for success earned her a first professional contract with Spanish club Tacón in 2017, and her career has gone on an upwards trajectory ever since. She has climbed the ranks in Spain and joins the Hammers as an experienced international and domestic footballer at the highest level, still driven by that desire to win.
3. She has moved to the middle
Before becoming a commanding presence in the heart of defence, Camila Sáez initially began her career as a left-back.
Standing at 5ft 6in, she is perhaps on the smaller side for her position, which influenced coaches to deploy her in wider positions in her formative years. However, former Colo-Colo and Chilean Women’s National Team head coach José Letelier saw her capacity for defensive excellence, and helped to nurture her as left-sided centre-back.
Under his tutelage, Sáez excelled, before taking her talents to the pinnacle of Spanish football and now to the WSL.
4. A footballer and a scholar
Camila Sáez holds a degree in Business Administration from the Andrés Bello University in Chile's capital, Santiago, which perhaps provides an explanation for her ability to read the game and orchestrate a defence!
Balancing professional football with a demanding academic programme from the biggest university in Chile takes work, but Sáez has been able to do just that, not letting her studies limit her footballing potential.
5. She is almost always available!
In the past six seasons, Sáez has played a lot of football! Since moving to Spain 2018, the defender accumulated over 15,000 minutes in playing time in the Liga F for Rayo Vallecano, Deportivo Alavés and Madrid CFF.
During that time, she has played 58 times for her country, showcasing that she certainly has the endurance and stamina to showcase her talent consistently in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
