“The players who are going up now, are better than us,” he assured Alexia Putellas when receiving the golden ball. The best soccer player in the world knows very well that his legacy is assured and the achievements of this dream man only prove his right. This Sunday’s conquest of the U17 World Cup put Spanish women’s football on top of the world. The future is secured with the right names like Vicky Lopez and Judit Pujols (Barcelona), Carla Camacho and Sofia Fuente (Real Madrid) or Cristina Libran (Madrid CFF) steps forward.
Spain was confirmed as the great dominator of the world. In just six months, four medals have been won: U20 World champions, U19 European champions, U17 European runners-up and the recent U17 World Championship won by India after defeating the Colombian Linda Caicedo, one of the pledges called to mark a season already in the orbit of big clubs, including Barça. Spain made history as the only team to retain this title and the second, along with North Korea, to do so in two categories in the same year.
“Anyone who thinks it’s easy is wrong”, affirmed the U17 coach Kenya Gonzalo. “It’s an incredible thing that’s never been done before.” Certainly, the path to reach the top is not accidental but the process of continuous and sometimes thorny work, in which various obstacles are overcome.
The hatching of a unique generation
The gold won at the World Cup in Uruguay in 2018 gave a certain impetus towards this golden age. La Roja won 2-1 against Mexico with a double claudia pina (Golden Ball and Silver Boot) and players like Salma Paralluelo, Jana Fernández and Cata Coll (Golden Glove) who have already won the highest category.
In the same year 20018 three golds were won and silver was achieved in Sub 20 world with a girl Aitana Bonmatí and Patri Guijarro – top scorer with England’s Georgia Stanway – as leaders.
In retrospect, the first great success came in 2004, in a U19 Euro Cup where Spain’s Vero Boquete, Ruth Garcia and Natalia Pablos managed to overcome mighty Germany in the final. A real milestone.
Since then, victories have been accumulated, slowly but surely, until the current great record has been accumulated: a World Cup and a world sub-championship in the Sub2’0 category; four Europeans and five runners-up in Europe at Under’19; and two World Cups, one world runner-up, four European and five European runner-ups in the U17.
The question is: How is it possible to achieve these milestones? Undoubtedly, the work of clubs like Barça, which turned its women’s section into a professional team in 2015, followed by Real Madrid, Athletic, Atlético or Levante, led to privileged academies. The RFEF has also made a firm commitment to women’s football which continues to grow in terms of licences, expectations and interest from brands.
It is only a matter of time before these fruits reach Absolute, which is still an orphan of achievements and has high hopes for the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. Meanwhile, the future is sure
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
