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Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent
A record-breaking year for Spanish football has made a big impact on the 2023 edition of ESPN FC Women’s Rank, which was topped by Aitana Bonmatí. The Barcelona midfielder has had an exceptional year: She was a World Cup winner with her country, a Champions League winner with her club, the best player in both of those competitions and the No.1 pick for 30 of the 32 experts who voted as part of the ESPN panel.
However, the contributions from Spain go well beyond just Bonmatí. Five of the top 10 are Spanish and six play in the country’s domestic league, Liga F. In total, there are nine Spanish players in the top 50 — including Patri Guijarro and Mapi León, who were not part of the World Cup squad — and 15 from Liga F, not including the 2022 winner Alexia Putellas, who missed the majority of the season through injury. Those figures mark a huge leap on previous ranks, while you could even make a case for others who missed out: Cata Coll was this week named as one of the three FIFA nominees for the best goalkeeper in the world, forward Alba Redondo excelled for Spain and Levante, while striker Esther González had success with Real Madrid, Spain and Gotham FC.
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Of course, Spain’s World Cup triumph in Australia and New Zealand is a major factor in the appearance of so many Spaniards. Prior to last summer, La Roja had never won a knockout game at a major tournament. They have since won four, beating Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and England to become world champions.
Spain’s success is the symptom of a recognised playing style practiced across their youth teams all the way through to the senior side — in both the men’s and the women’s game. They are also the current world champions at U20 and U17 level, while their U19 team are back-to-back European champions.
It all paints an ominous picture for the future for their competitors.
The national team’s triumphs cannot be discussed without referring to Barcelona. The Catalan giants have emerged as one of the biggest sides in Europe, perhaps only rivalled by Lyon, and have won two of the last three Champions Leagues. They have an incredible 13 players among the top 50, which illustrates their depth beyond just their starting XI.
Barça’s emergence since turning fully professional in 2016 has disrupted the norm in Europe. Before they won the Champions League in 2021 for the first time, it had been dominated by Germany and France. Between 2008 and 2020, only German and French clubs had won Europe’s biggest prize: Lyon seven times, Wolfsburg twice, FFC Frankfurt (now Eintracht Frankfurt) twice and Duisburg and Turbine Potsdam once each. Germany were represented in 11 of those 13 finals; France 10, with Paris Saint-Germain also making an appearance.
Like Spain, Barça’s success is founded on their playing style as well as the support of their club. They have invested in players, facilities, a stadium and the academy for their women’s team. The hope in Spain now is that the success of the national team and Barça will have a trickle-down effect.
The emergence of Real Madrid could also help. Las Blancas have also invested since absorbing CD Tacon in 2019 and have two players ranked, both in the top 10: Colombia‘s young sensation Linda Caicedo and the scorer of Spain’s winning goal at the World Cup, Olga Carmona.
Madrid’s Scotland midfielder Caroline Weir, currently sidelined by injury, could easily have featured, too, and is an example of foreign talent being attracted to Liga F — something that’s also true with Caicedo. England duo Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh, both in the top 50, also swapped the Women’s Super League (like Weir) for Liga F, while Caroline Graham Hansen and Fridolina Rolfö left Wolfsburg for Barça.
The institution of Madrid and the attraction of playing in El Clásico is a big draw. Barça players were initially reluctant to give the fixture that tag — goalkeeper Sandra Paños told ESPN that Madrid would have to earn it — but it is widely used now. Madrid finished second in Liga F last season and have made the group stages of the last three Champions Leagues, which is no mean feat — just ask Arsenal and Manchester United, both of whom missed out this year.
Madrid are a club on the up; Liga F’s challenge now is to capitalise on this moment. There is still a big gap between Barça and the rest — as a recent 5-0 rout of Madrid in El Clásico proved — but there is talent in the league, which has only been fully professional since 2022. Atlético Madrid are traditionally one of the biggest teams in Spain, but have struggled to get their act together in recent years. Levante and Real Sociedad have also emerged as decent sides, while Madrid CFF have a knack of finding talent. Zambia‘s Racheal Kundananji is one of the most prolific strikers in Spain, and had a fine World Cup with her country.
However, as is often the case, there are hurdles to overcome. Last year, referees went on strike over pay and this season’s campaign was delayed as players demanded improved working conditions. An agreement was eventually reached for a minimum annual salary of €21,000, which could increase to €23,000 depending on the growth of the competition’s commercial income. It is not just about money, though.
“We have make sure that we play on grass [and not artificial pitches],” Barça and Norway winger Graham Hansen, 15th in the ESPN rank, told ESPN last year. “It has to be a certain standard on the stadiums, it has to be a certain standard on the contract that players are given and the amount of time they are training.”
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How influential was the World Cup in deciding the Women’s Rank?
Sophie Lawson and Sam Marsden react to the high number of Spanish and English players in the top 50.
Barça’s players have led the push for change, aware that if all teams were afforded the infrastructure they benefit from, the league would be even stronger.
“All these small things will make a huge difference,” Graham Hansen added. “If you can add that all the games will be televised, it will be a great product to sell because there are a lot of good players in Spain that are not seen and they are reckoned to be bad because Barca are winning [by big margins].
“But the truth is, it’s not because they are bad, it’s just because we are very good. It’s so important that we professionalise properly so everyone gets the recognition they deserve.”
Bonmatí told ESPN earlier this year there is still much to be done despite the professionalisation of the league. “For me, nothing has changed, it is just the name,” she said. “I am still seeing many aspects where improvement is needed, a professional league has to have minimum standards. I still go to many pitches and I put my head in my hands, saying ‘I am scared to play on this’ … it doesn’t generate confidence or peace of mind playing on certain pitches.
“I think we have to look out for the health of the players first of all; then after if you want to sell this league, at certain grounds it’s impossible to sell it well. For that reason, I say the English league is a good example, not just the league but the country as a whole, and I think it can serve as a mirror for us.”
If Spain’s success has shown one thing, though, it is that this generation of players can force change.
Luis Rubiales’ non-consensual kiss on Jenni Hermoso, the CF Pachuca attacker (ranked No.9 this year), after the World Cup final led to the former Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] president being ousted. Coach Jorge Vilda was also dismissed as part of wholesale changes at the RFEF enforced by a movement by the players. It was a moment that had been brewing since September 2022, when 15 players renounced the national team in search of improved standards. Despite that backdrop, they went on to become world champions.
This is a special generation, and the signs are they are not going anywhere. Bonmatí is only 25 and Salma Paralluelo (No. 5) turned 20 in November. There is plenty of talent coming through, too, like 17-year-old Vicky López who scored in Barça’s El Clásico triumph last month.
The next target is the Olympic Games next summer. Spain are in the Final Four of the Nations League, where they will host the Netherlands in February. The finalists will book their place at the Games. Achieve that and Spain’s ascendency in the ESPN FC Women’s Rank might grow even more in 2024.