How Spain managed to win the World Cup amid so many layers of complexity surely must be the subject of a documentary. On the field, their triumph is an enormous win for youth football and a celebration of the country’s enviable depth of talent. In addition to this magnificent World Cup title, Spain are also the holders of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup and last year retained the under-17 equivalent.
One player has won all of those trophies – the young player of the tournament, Salma Paralluelo. In a sense, that makes the 19-year-old sensation the embodiment of Spain’s success at youth level, which is now translating into success at senior level. That’s not to take anything away from her own remarkable journey from athletics star to football World Cup winner. Until a year ago Paralluelo was juggling the two sports, but her move to Barcelona forced her focus squarely on football. And we’re fortunate for it. Paralluelo scored the quarter-final winner against the Netherlands, she scored again in the semi-final win over Sweden and really should have scored in the final. She was named in the starting lineup against England, tasked with leading Spain’s attack.
The long legs of the dynamic forward are impossible to miss when she powers down the left before cutting inside and trying her luck. She tormented England’s defenders all night, but especially when she clipped a post with the last touch of the first half.
As the players headed into the changing rooms for the break, they brushed past Jorge Vilda. A chorus of boos had rung out when the Spain coach’s name was announced before kick-off, whereas the name of every Spanish player was vociferously cheered. With many neutral Australians joining the overwhelming majority of England fans inside the stadium, it’s fair to conclude the silence of Spain’s players during the tournament has, in fact, spoken volumes.
They have purposefully not addressed the rather large elephant in the room. Not verbally, at least. But Vilda has cut an isolated figure during the World Cup. He has been pushed out of team celebrations, has stood awkwardly on the fringes of team photos and had his offer of a handshake snubbed by Alexia Putellas after a substitution.
Before the final, Spain’s squad huddled together on the side of the field. Arms wrapped around each other, words of inspiration spoken. Vilda was on the periphery.
When Olga Carmona scored just before the half-hour – an inevitability on the balance of play up to that point – Spain’s bench jumped up in unison to celebrate with their teammates on the field. Again, Vilda was a spectator. It is an unusual position for the coach of a team contesting their first World Cup final to be in, but there have been exceptional circumstances leading up to it.
Spain’s performance on the night, in fact their entire magnificent tournament, was in spite of Vilda, not because of him. It’s hard to imagine just how much the emotion of the last 12 months has driven the players, but now may be the time they open up about it.
Less than a year ago 15 players, now dubbed Las 15, sent identical emails to the Spanish federation’s president, Luis Rubiales, saying their “emotional and health state [had] been significantly affected” by “recent events” and they were making themselves unavailable for selection.
It emerged their problem was with Vilda, his selections, preparation, tactics and the controlling environment they felt he had created. After the issue came to a head, and with Rubiales throwing his support behind Vildas, only three players – Ona Batlle, Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey – were picked in Vilda’s World Cup squad. Three key players – Patri Guijarro, Mapi León and Clàudia Pina – have remained on the outside. They have not acknowledged the success of the team on social media.
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The saga may well be what has galvanised this talented Spain side. The further they progressed in the tournament, the more the deep-rooted divisions within the team became known. That’s why even the casual football fan inside Stadium Australia on Sunday night joined in the chorus of boos.
By the time Putellas entered the field in the 90th minute, replacing Mariona Caldentey, the frosty relationship between coach and players was evident. Putellas received most of her instructions from the assistant coaches, while Caldentey walked straight to the bench with Vilda going the other way, not so much as a glance in her direction.
When the final whistle sounded there were two clear groups celebrating: the players joined together in one, the coach and his staff in another. But as the two came closer some players did embrace Vilda, which hints at the complex atmosphere that has surrounded them.
Although what has happened in the dressing room can only be speculated on, it is abundantly clear this may be just the start of Spain’s dominance of women’s football. But as one keen observer noted, imagine how long they could dominate for if they ditched Vilda.
