The women's soccer team and the challenge of emulating its lower categories

MADRID, 1 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

As of Saturday, the Spanish women's soccer team faces the decisive phase of the World Cup that is being played in Australia and New Zealand, where they dream of lifting a historic title that would confirm their growth and that would serve to emulate what has already been done in lower categories where It is one of the great powers.

Spain is participating in its third World Cup, an event in which it did not premiere until 2015 and in which it has not failed to qualify since then. It has not been able to achieve great results, eliminated in the group stage in Canada and in the round of 16, against the favorite United States, in France, but now in Oceania it aspires to, at least, overcome the first meeting and sneak into the eight top.

This contrasts with the power of Spanish women's football at the level of lower teams, where it has a high-level record thanks to the continental dominance with the Under-17 and Under-19, and the world domination by the titles last year of the Sub-20 and Sub-18.

In fact, the Absolute coach, Jorge Vilda, does not hesitate to classify Spain as the best in the world in youth team football and from there lies the hope that, sooner rather than later, the 'major' teams will be able to opt for achieve glory whether global or continental. And if it does so on August 20, national women's soccer could boast of being the total world 'queen' since it would possess the three crowns thanks to the conditions of current U-20 and U-18 world champions, It is already a winner in 2018.

The first made history last year by proclaiming itself world champion in Costa Rica, beating Japan in the final (3-1), taking revenge four years earlier with a team led by Pedro López where the presence of forwards Inma Gabarro stood out. , chosen 'Golden Boot', and Salma Paralluelo, scorer of two goals in the final. The two entered the coach's pre-list for this World Cup, but only the Aragonese, who had not been able to debut with the Seniors in the Euro Cup in England months before due to an untimely injury, made the final cut.

The FC Barcelona striker, almost indisputable in Vilda's plans, was also part of the Under-18 team that made history in 2018 under the leadership of Toña Is and won the first world title in Spanish women's football, for which she aspires in Oceania to close the circle. In that team, there were also other players present in this World Cup such as the striker Eva Navarro, whose injuries have delayed her more than promising progression, and the goalkeeper Cata Coll. Both got even for the bitterness of having lost the U-20 World Cup final months before.

This Under-18 team, led by Kenio Gonzalo, became the first team, in seven World Cup editions, to repeat their crown by beating Colombia 1-0 last October, with a generation led by players like Vicky López or Carla Camacho. Only North Korea has two world titles in this category.

Before these successes, also in 2018, the Under-20s already touched the world throne, but then the victory went to Japan 1-3. In that selection were, in addition to some very young Cata Coll and Eva Navarro, players like Aitana Bonmatí, Ona Batlle, Misa Rodríguez, also in New Zealand, or Patri Guijarro and Claudia Pina, who are still in the group that has given up being called up. The same thing happened to the Under-18s, which in 2014 was already runner-up in the world after losing to Japan, with Jorge Vilda at the helm.

And at the continental level, the Sub-19 and Sub-17 are powers. The first renewed its 2022 title last Sunday after beating Germany on penalties and adding this success to those of 2018 (with Athenea del Castillo, Olga Carmona, Oihane Hernández or Tere Abelleira), 2017 (with Bonmatí, Batlle or Guijarro) and 2004, while the second was runner-up a few months ago in a tournament that they have also won four times, the last in 2018, with Navarro, Pina, Paralluelo and Coll.

In this way, if Spain makes history on August 20 in Sydney and raises its first World Cup with the generation led by Alexia Putellas, it would become the first to be the current defender of the absolute world titles, Sub-20 and Sub-18, and the second team to have achieved this triplet after Japan, which did so in 2011 (Absolute), 2014 (Under-18) and 2018 (Under-20). In addition, along with Germany, Spain would be the only country that could boast of having been the male and female world champion.