Everyone knows by now that Spain runs women football, especially after winning their first FIFA Women’s World Cup back in August. FC Barcelona Femení is the best club in the world, Spain women’s national team is the best in the world, and Aitana Bonmati is the best player in the world.
What do they all have in common? They are all based in Spain. What is even more dangerous is that the top five best players for Spain have an average age of 25. Therefore, Spain could start a new dynasty in women’s football. Here is a look at the Spanish team’s key players.
Aitanna Bonmati
Age: 25
Team: F.C Barcelona Femeni
Bonmati had an incredible season that won her very first Ballon d’Or, dethroning her teammate Alexia Putellas. With Barcelona last season, she scored nine goals with 10 assists in 23 matches in Liga F, while also scoring five goals during the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Not to mention that she also scored three goals with two assists during the World Cup, where she won the Golden Ball.
The 25-year-old Barcelona Femení player is a wizard in the center of the field and one of the best playmakers in the game. Growing up playing at Barcelona’s youth academy, she was taught the beautiful tiki taka tactics at a young age, which ultimately came into play as she got older. At 25, she has a long list of hardware that will only grow with time.
Alexis Putellas
Another Barcelona player, Putellas has been at the top of the sport for the past few seasons. However, an ACL injury kept her out for most of last season. That still does not take away from what she has done in the last few years. During the 2021/22 season, she scored 18 goals in 26 league appearances, while also scoring 11 goals during the UWCL.
She has also led Barcelona to four straight league titles and two Champions League titles. Putellas also won the Ballon d’Or in both 2021 and 2022 by a mile. The 29-year-old midfielder has also scored 12 goals for the Spanish national team in 33 matches since 2020. Putellas has appeared in three World Cups with her nation, finally winning the biggest prize after working all year round to be fit in time for the tournament.
Jennifer Hermoso
The oldest player on this list at 33, Hermoso was the only player on the Spain roster that played outside of the domestic league, spending her second season with Liga MX Femenil side Pachuca. She has become a veteran to the national team with her experience playing in both France and Spain, including three seasons in Barcelona. During her first season in Pachuca, Hermoso scored 20 goals in 29 appearances, while also scoring three goals and two assists during the World Cup.
At 5’9, her ability to get by defenders while having the range to head in balls in the net makes her a lethal forward. Moreover, that quality makes her one of the best attacking players in the world. However, part of her reputation will be remembered as the woman who was given a non consensual kiss by the former president of the Spanish football federation Luis Rubiales before being awarded the World Cup trophy with her teammates.
Salma Paralluelo
The young superstar is already making a name for herself with her 20th birthday just a few weeks away. She was the first ever player, man or woman, to win the U-17, U-20, and senior World Cup. In seven appearances, she started five matches for Spain at the World Cup, while scoring the game-winners against both the Netherlands and Sweden.
She also had 10 goals in 15 appearances in Liga F with Barcelona. Paralluelo is also a former track star, winning gold in the 400m hurdles during the 2019 European Youth Olympics. Despite dropping track for football, she has used her skills learned on the track by outrunning opposing defenders at an astounding rate. This makes her one of the fastest and most skillful players in the world.
Olga Carmona
The Madridsta was the hero during the World Cup finals against England, scoring the lone goal that led Spain to its first star. It was not until after the match that she found out that her father had passed away after a long battle with an illness. This did not take away from the exceptional tournament she had, scoring in both the semifinals and final. She was also one of the captains on the field, taking on the huge responsibility at just the age of 23.
With Real Madrid last season, she totaled three goals and two assists in 26 games in Liga F. The left back is short, but quick on the left side as she can run up the field, while quickly preventing counter attacks. Carmona will only get better with age as she already has two assists in five matches with Real Madrid this season as Los Blancos finished joint-second in the league table.