Newly crowned Women’s World Cup champion Spain has established itself for a long run among soccer’s elite with its young and talented roster of rising stars.
La Roja defeated England 1-0 in Sunday’s final for their first major tournament title. Over the course of the month-long event, Spain played through the turbulence of last year’s player rebellion and the injury-diminished role of two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas.
Aitana Bonmati, at just 25 years old, solidified her credentials as a top midfielder, and 19-year-old forward Salma Paralluelo proved to be a rising global star.
“I know that this is the dream we’ve had since we were little. So right now it is difficult to comprehend. But when we get home, we’ll really know what we did,” Paralluelo said. “It’s something huge.”
Spain joined Germany as the only two nations to win both men’s and women’s World Cup titles and Bonmati spoke about inspiring a generation - just like her hero Andres Iniesta influenced her in 2010 when the Spanish men won the World Cup in South Africa.
Bonmati and her teammates after the match were already wearing new jerseys that included the star above Spain’s crest that signifies a World Cup title.
“Today we have this star and this medal and this cup, but it’s for all of them, all of those who have fought for more equality and to get us to a better place,” said Bonmati. “We love that we could contribute our part to be role models for all those girls and boys. Very emotional to have achieved something so extraordinary.”
More than anything else, Spain’s victory showed that the rest of the world is catching up to the traditional powers. Germany, Brazil and the United States all suffered surprisingly early exits from the tournament.
Few expected the traditional soccer powerhouses to have long gone home by the time Spain hoisted the trophy.
An expanded field of 32 teams was expected to expose the disparity in the women’s game. But instead, teams including Morocco, South Africa and Jamaica all advanced to the knockout round to defy expectations. Morocco was one of eight teams playing in its first Women’s World Cup.