- Spain won U-17 and U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cups last year
- La Roja secured maiden senior title with 1-0 final win over England on Sunday
- Salma Paralluelo the first player in history of any gender to win all three
The rise of La Roja has been scarcely believable. They have blazed a trail at global youth tournaments in recent times and, having now won a maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup™, they have become the first women’s team in history to hold the U-17, U-20 and senior world titles at the same time.
In addition, 19-year-old sensation Salma Paralluelo is the first player of any gender to be involved in successful campaigns at all three levels.
“They are experiences, even if they are in younger age groups, of maximum competitiveness and in some way it prepares you,” the young forward, who won the award for the Best Young Player at Australia & New Zealand 2023, explained.
“It’s good to have experienced two World Cups, to have gone far in them and to see how to control your feelings when the pressure increases as you go through the rounds.”
Coach Jorge Vilda, also the sporting director of the Spanish women’s national team programme, said that the success of the nation at all levels is one of his “greatest prides”.
He explained how proud he was “to see the methodology that we implemented many years ago, how we have made it dynamic and how we have evolved, transmitting the essence of our football to the players from the age of 14″.
Olga Carmona, the scorer of the decisive goal in the final, said that the achievement of the senior team was “historic.”
Aitana Bonmati, winner of the Women’s World Cup adidas Golden Ball Award, said the team’s competitive spirit was key to their positive results.
“The mentality of all of us has changed a lot, we are a team that believes, that trusts and is resilient,” the 25-year-old explained. “We are a team that knows how to compete and how to fight. We don’t just play good football, we also compete.
“Physically we have improved. We know the technical quality we have, but in football you need a lot more things, don’t you?”
It is this improvement across age groups that may well set up a footballing dynasty.
Source: FIFA.com
