The Spanish squad is built on a core of Barcelona players who have triumphed with their club
If those precise passes that untangle defenses and the attacks coming from all angles by first-time Women’s World Cup finalist Spain look familiar, there is good reason.
The Spanish squad is built on a core of Barcelona players who have triumphed with their club and are now one step from the ultimate prize when they face England on Sunday in Sydney.
Nine Barcelona players, including two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas, attacking midfielder Aitana Bonmatí and defensive leader Irene Paredes, are among the key players for Spain.
The club’s influence also extends to the England team, which features Barcelona players Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh.
“Some of us are very lucky, we’ve won two Champions Leagues with Barcelona,” Bonmatí said after beating Sweden 2-1 in the semifinals.
Barcelona’s women’s team has played in front of record crowds exceeding 90,000, Bonmati added, “but playing a World Cup final in front of 75,000, it will be crazy.”
“I can’t believe it’s going to happen. Am I in a dream?”
This surprising run by a generation of women who started their careers with few of the advantages of their male counterparts has ended up on a similar path when it comes to taking Spain to the top.
Just as Spain’s 2010 World Cup champion team included seven Barcelona members — led by Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Carles Puyol — and coincided with the club’s best years, the rise of the national women’s team comes after Barcelona’s women established themselves as one of Europe’s elite teams.
Barcelona’s women’s team has reached four of the last five Champions League finals, winning two, including a 3-2 comeback over Wolfsburg in June. It has also won four consecutive Spanish league titles. This growth came a decade after Barcelona started seriously investing in its women team.
