“You can’t win anything with kids!” Those were the infamous words of Alan Hansen about the Manchester United team in 1995. He lived to regret them then and, if this World Cup is anything to go by, that statement has been proved wrong time and time again. For this tournament has been the competition for several break-out stars. From Linda Caicedo to Esmee Brugts, from Hinata Miyazawa to Lauren James, the world’s emerging young talents have taken to this stage with remarkable ease, putting in stellar performances where perhaps some of their more experienced counterparts have not.
Spain’s Salma Paralluelo is one of them. The talented 19-year-old winger has announced herself at senior level in this competition, scoring the quarter-final winner against the Netherlands and firing her team ahead in their semi-final victory over Sweden. She is now preparing for a World Cup final, despite making her international debut only in November. It is the kind of impact many teenagers could only dream of, catapulting her into the headlines as one of the most talked-about players of the competition.
Dynamic, technical, energetic and unique are just some of the words used to describe the youngster. For someone so young, Paralluelo has already had a glittering career. Born in Zaragoza in northern Spain, she is a former athletics champion, competing in the hurdles and 400m. She took part in the 2019 European athletics championships at the age of 15. It is easy to see how she succeeded on the track; her raw pace is evident to everyone watching.
Football, however, has always been a fundamental part of her life and she excelled at both. Domestically, she signed for Villarreal in 2019, where she scored 23 goals in 37 appearances before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. A spectacular goal against Barcelona earned her a nomination for the 2022 Puskás award.
That summer, Barça came calling, forcing Paralluelo to choose between the two sports. With the decision made, she hit the ground running in her inaugural season with 30 appearances and 15 goals across all competitions. Along the way, she helped Barça lift the Liga F, Supercopa Femenina and Champions League trophies, a remarkable haul for someone in their first proper year.
Paralluelo has had success internationally too. In 2018 she featured heavily as Spain won the Under-17 European Championship and Under-17 World Cup. Last August she travelled to Costa Rica with the Under-20s, scoring three goals on their road to lifting yet another piece of silverware at youth level. It is no surprise that she has taken to senior football like a duck to water.
Her versatility allows her to play down either flank – although the left is probably where she has most impact – or directly as a No 9 when the need arises. Having started in Spain’s first four games, Jorge Vilda opted to drop her to the bench against both the Netherlands and Sweden and utilise her as an impact sub, an infusion of fresh legs when the opposition were tiring.
Her extra-time strike against the Dutch, her first at a senior World Cup, showed that she offers much more than fresh legs. The goal also showcased exactly what the Barcelona star is about. Her speed, her dazzling feet, her vision to shift the ball into space and her emphatic finish made a difference to a side that have been lacking a clinical edge in front of goal.
“It means everything to me,” she said after the game. “It was a unique moment. Great euphoria to have lived through it and I am extremely happy.” Vilda opted for this tactic again in Auckland’s semi-final on Tuesday.
Once again, finishing eluded La Roja despite the firepower they possess. Paralluelo came on in the 57th minute for the struggling Alexia Putellas to drive at goal, stretch the play and give the Swedish defence plenty to think about. She was almost unstoppable and made it count again, this time with a sublime poacher’s finish, pouncing on Eva Navarro’s header to become only the second teenager to score in a World Cup semi-final.
It was a goal that left Spain’s magician in the middle, Aitana Bonmatí, cradling her boot in celebration, a signal of just how highly her teammates think of her. Paralluelo now lies in wait for England, ready to send fear through another set of world class defenders, one of which is Lucy Bronze, a teammate at Barcelona.
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What is most frightening, and exhilarating, is that this young star is only just getting started. She has played football full-time for only 12 months and at 19, has her peak years ahead of her. “I don’t have to tell you about Salma’s quality, ” Vilda says. “But you know that she’s very young and that she has only been playing football for one season exclusively. We know that we have to provide her with the appropriate conditions to help her become what we believe she can.”
Whether Vilda uses her from the start or as an impact player on Sunday matters little. She has proven she has all the tools in her arsenal to make her mark. Why not now in the tournament’s grand finale?
Recommended viewing
To mark the final week of the World Cup, we have traced the rise of women’s football through the ages and highlighted the Guardian’s ongoing dedication to coverage of the game. Then, now, forever on top of their game. Watch it via this link, or below.
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