But the path wasnt easy. READ: Everything you need to know about Euro 2022, In midfield, Aitana [Bonmat] and Patri [Guijarro] are also the best and her game with them, with whom she plays every day at Bara, makes the team flow.. Barcelona is the one that has the singing voice, Fra explained. Its difficult to overstate just how important Putellas is to this team: a prolific goalscorer, mercurial playmaker and a player with the individual genius to single-handedly win any game. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much The national teams ascent from also-ran to ever-present in major competitions over the past decade has been one of the more remarkable rises on the womens international stage. She has hit 12 goals in 11 matches for the senior side. Prior to the 2015 World Cup in Canada, Spanish womens football was unrecognizable to the standard it sets today. Euro 2022 was supposed to showcase how a burgeoning domestic league, historic payment agreement and dedicated youth system culminated in Spain, who qualified for the tournament undefeated, becoming an international force. Back in early 2020, the players in the womens first division struck a historic league-wide agreement that guaranteed every footballer an annual salary. The deal was the culmination of years of gradual improvement, which also included a television deal and a major title sponsor with renewable energy company, Iberdrola. We must not lose sight of the fact that Spain has never reached a final, not even a semifinal. Spain arrived in England for Euro 2022 tipped by many as a contender to win the tournament. Certainly, parallels can be drawn with the mens national team that dominated world and European football between 2008 and 2012 with a bulk of players from Pep Guardiolas all-conquering Barcelona. 
The styles are very similar. On top of that she goes up and makes herself a No. It was after the 2015 World Cup, which was the first time that Spain qualified for the World Cup, when Spain really began to commit to womens football and the players began to be professionals, Fra said. Did you encounter any technical issues? A failure would be, for example, not going through the group stage because I think that Spain has that capability and has to go through, but its another thing that we already require the team to be at Wembley on July 31.. Alexia Putellas will miss out on Euro 2022 after rupturing her ACL. In qualifying for Euro 2022, Spain won seven and drew one match, scoring 48 goals and conceding only once, but Fra urged caution. Pos 6, Koke on loyalty and spectacular career: Atltico was always my dream, TM voting: Donnarumma best player of EURO 2020 - Italy four times in top 5, Euro a matter of fitness? Vilda was appointed after guiding the womens under-17s and under-19s to multiple European Championship titles and many of the players who played a key part in the success of those teams are now integral pieces in the senior side. Today, there are still many players from the Spanish national team who still study because they believe that their career is too short, and what they earn isnt enough to live the rest of their lives, Fra said. Its true that the journey of this team in recent years has made [fans] believe and invited them to dream, but Jorge Vilda has lowered the air of expectation a bit because he believes its negative that people arrive with such high expectations, that there is too much is belief in something that we have never done. Whats more, the players who carry the weight in the national team which are the three midfielders Aitana [Bonmat], Alexia [Putellas] and Patri Guijarro they have the Bara essence, they are from the academy. The United States will take on France in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup after two Megan Rapinoe penalties squeezed them past Spain 2-1 on Monday. J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Fra recalled players having to travel hundreds of kilometers each day for training and said any form of nutrition plan was non-existent. Spain plays basically the same as Bara; tiki taka, touch and verticality in attack.
She won two gold medals at the 2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. 24, Average age: It was the first time the womens national team had qualified for a World Cup, but after finishing bottom of its group, the players subsequently came out and denounced a lack of professionalism within the setup. All Rights Reserved. Two years later, the Azulgrana would finally get its hands on European footballs most coveted prize, as it hammered Chelsea 4-0 in the final to announce what it hoped would be a power shift in the European game. That record is a stark contrast to the previous 26 years, when it managed to qualify for just one major tournament Euro 1997 between 1987 and 2013. 4:23 AM EDT, Mon July 11, 2022. UEFA, FIFA World Ranking: A Warner Bros. 
That trio and Sarriegi were part of the 28-person provisional squad who were initially called up. They looked up to those players, they created that style at Bara, they play like that and they are the ones who carry the dominant weight and are the ones who make that team work. They dont have that experience that other teams have, such as Germany, England, France, Sweden or Norway.
So they keep studying, they keep educating themselves but today, a player from any team in the league can live with what she earns on her team and with the national team. Negotiations about the new agreement coincided with the beginning of Barcelonas meteoric rise to the pinnacle of European football. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images). Earlier in 2019, Bara had become the first Spanish team in history to reach either the semifinals or final of the Womens Champions League, eventually losing 4-1 to powerhouse Lyon in the final. Spain coach Jorge Vilda also initially made the surprising decision to include the uncapped Salma Paralluelo, 18, who has shone for Villarreal. Basically, I would say that it is exactly the same as Bara in 2010., Barcelonas pulsating, passing style of football recently led club legend and current mens head coach Xavi to call the team an inspiration.. From then on, there has been an exponential growth of the team in terms of players, physique, resources, and even of the fact that the players, as the national team coach Jorge Vilda said, are now professionals and can make a living from this.. Alexia, its very strong to say it, but she is everything, Amalia Fra, a football expert for Spanish sports newspaper AS, told CNN Sport. Reaching the semifinals, of course, would be a success, Fra said. If they dont reach the semifinals, it will not be a failure. 2. In addition, they have a bonus that with the Euros they are going to have some allowances and image rights that are going to complement those salaries.. There was also no place for Nerea Eizagirre, Claudia Zornoza or Ainhoa Vicente. 833.3 %, Confederation: appreciated. However, with the deal eventually secured, players in the first division could begin to solely dedicate their working lives to football. Now, in the absence of Putellas and Hermoso, it will be up to the likes of Paredes, Len, Bonmat and Guijarro to lead Spains women to their first major international trophy. Bara reached the final once again this year, where it fell to Lyon, and many of the players that featured in Barcelonas rise have played an integral part in the Spanish national teams climb to a record high of seventh in the world rankings. LE HAVRE, FRANCE - JUNE 08: Marta Corredera of Spain controles the ball during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France group B match between Spain and South Africa at on June 08, 2019 in Le Havre, France.
2022 Cable News Network. Updated Alexia Putellas celebrates after scoring against Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final. Jorge Vilda was appointed head coach of the women's senior team after his success in the youth system. Historic women's deal 'reward for all the hard work we've been putting in for years,' says Spain star. However, she had to pull out at the last minute after an injury. She is the whole team because shes like a compass in the middle of the pitch which is distributing and moves the opposing team. Eight players it was nine prior to Putellas injury from the current Barcelona womens team have been called up to the 23-player squad for Euro 2022, and six started in the teams opening match. Squad size: 9 and scores a goal for you. Spain will now have to try and compete without two of the best players in the world, with Putellas and Hermoso coming first and second respectively in the Ballon dOr standings in 2021. Vilda took over after former head coach Ignacio Quereda was ousted after 27 years in charge following Spains disappointing performance at the 2015 World Cup in Canada. Since failing to reach the 2011 World Cup, La Roja has qualified for every major international tournament and has already secured its place at next years World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. In the opener against Finland, Spain impressed in a 4-1 victory but Tuesdays clash of the behemoths, when La Roja faces Germany in Group B, will be a sterner test for a team without two of the worlds best players. Their references when they were little were Xavi and [Andrs] Iniesta. Can Spain still go far at Euro 2022 without Alexia Putellas and Jenni Hermoso? They began to receive financial allowances and then they [the federation] also bet on creating a more powerful league and professionalizing it, which we would almost say is something unprecedented. Spain crashed out of the 2015 World Cup, finishing bottom of its group. Barcelona are the most heavily represented club, with nine players, while there are six from Real Madrid.
It will undoubtedly be a tough ask to compete against some of the worlds best sides without its two star players, but this squad still boasts a plethora of talent that not many teams will relish the prospect of facing. In November 2019, after their demands for a minimum wage were not met, the footballers boycotted all eight first division matches one weekend, after 189 representatives from the leagues 16 clubs voted 93% in favor of taking strike action. 26.8, Foreigners: From star performers to the youngsters who could light up the tournament, the players to watch at this summer's Women's Euros A variety of goalscorers and beating the European champions shows England are - with a few caveats - one of the favourites for the Euros, Women who played for England over the years open up on the often shocking conditions they faced and how the game has grown, 2022 World Athletics Championships: Noah Lyles sets American record as U.S. sweeps men's 200m, Giants sign reliever Trevor Rosenthal for $4.5 million, Browns sign QB Josh Rosen as Deshaun Watson suspension looms: Reports, Saints WR Michael Thomas among notable PUP list additions, Jimbo Fisher readdresses Saban spat: 'I have great respect for Nick', Ravel Morrison joins Wayne Rooney at D.C. United, Court filing alleges Oilers owner Daryl Katz paid underage girl for sex, Division I Council recommends NCAA allow multiple transfers without penalty, Kyler Murray, Cardinals agree to 5-year contract extension. Discovery Company. The minimum full-time player wage agreed for a 40-hour week was 16,000 ($18,000) and for a part-time, 30-hour week 12,000 ($13,600), with both including maternity leave, injury pay and paid holiday. After it was announced in June that all-time top scorer Jenni Hermoso would miss Euro 2022 with a knee injury, La Roja was then given the crushing news on July 5 that totemic midfielder Alexia Putellas had ruptured her left anterior cruciate ligament. She makes it so the entire play of La Roja is based on her, but we mustnt underappreciate the rest of the team because we have amazing central defenders; Mapi Len and Irene Paredes are among the best in the world. England with the third most games on average. Barcelona have a heavy presence in the Spain national team. Like Guardiolas Bara and the Spain team of that time, the style of this national team is heavily influenced by the Catalan giant. On the eve of the tournament, Spain was dealt its second major blow in as many weeks. Paralluelo is also a sprinter who has starred at youth level. Amaiur Sarriegi, who replaced Putellas, has scored more than a goal a game to date for Spain since making her debut in 2021. So its an honor that Barca has put in so much because that has made the national team grow. Goalkeepers: Sandra Panos (Barcelona), Lola Gallardo (Atletico Madrid), Misa Rodriguez (Real Madrid), Defenders: Irene Parades (Barcelona), Mapi Leon (Barcelona), Leila Ouahabi (Man City), Andrea Pereira (Barcelona), Ivana Andres (Real Madrid), Ona Batlle (Man Utd), Laia Aleixandri (Man City), Olga Carmona (Real Madrid), Sheila Garcia (Atletico Madrid), Midfielders: Amaiur Sarriegi (Real Sociedad), Mariona Caldentey (Barcelona), Patri Guijarro (Barcelona), Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona), Irene Guerrero (Atletico Madrid), Teresa Abelleira (Real Madrid), Attackers: Lucia Garcia (Athletic Club), Esther Gonzalez (Real Madrid), Marta Cardona (Real Madrid), Athenea del Castillo (Real Madrid), Claudia Pina (Barcelona). Spains final squad for the 2022 European Championship has been hit by injury, with star players Alexia Putellas and Jennifer Hermoso forced to pull out with knee issues. Teresa Abelleira has been called up in her place.