I started when I was six years old or so. I played all the time in the school playground, in the town square. I don’t know where I got my passion for football because I don’t have any professional footballers in my family, but they were very keen on Barça. At my house they were always watching football.
I didn’t watch women’s football growing up because I basically didn’t have access to it; in my house we only watched men’s football. So Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, especially Andrés Iniesta and Xavi – there’s also Lionel Messi – they were my role models. As I got older I always liked Camille Abily, Louisa Nécib, Nadine Kessler – three quality midfielders. I tried to learn what I could from them.
Yes, especially during the pandemic. You’d be stuck at home and you’d put the TV on. There would be reruns of classic games from Xavi and Iniesta’s era. I tried to analyse the way they saw things: their passing and their positioning on the pitch. You improve by watching the best in the world and try to take something from their game. It’s not about copying them because each individual has their own strengths, but you watch these players to see what you can learn from them. Xavi looks around twice before receiving the ball. He doesn’t just take one glance, he looks a second time as the ball is coming to him. He’s great at anticipating things and spotting options so that he’s not closed down.
What you do without the ball influences what you’ll do with it – what will happen next, whether you win the ball or a team-mate does. If I move a metre more to the left, it will have an impact on my team-mate’s decision in many ways. What’s more, it’s about looking at where the opponent is positioned, what you think they’ll do with the ball and where they’ll play the following pass. There are many things I believe are crucial when you’re out of possession to ensure you make the right decision when you regain possession.
I started when I was six years old or so. I played all the time in the school playground, in the town square. I don’t know where I got my passion for football because I don’t have any professional footballers in my family, but they were very keen on Barça. At my house they were always watching football.
I didn’t watch women’s football growing up because I basically didn’t have access to it; in my house we only watched men’s football. So Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, especially Andrés Iniesta and Xavi – there’s also Lionel Messi – they were my role models. As I got older I always liked Camille Abily, Louisa Nécib, Nadine Kessler – three quality midfielders. I tried to learn what I could from them.
Yes, especially during the pandemic. You’d be stuck at home and you’d put the TV on. There would be reruns of classic games from Xavi and Iniesta’s era. I tried to analyse the way they saw things: their passing and their positioning on the pitch. You improve by watching the best in the world and try to take something from their game. It’s not about copying them because each individual has their own strengths, but you watch these players to see what you can learn from them. Xavi looks around twice before receiving the ball. He doesn’t just take one glance, he looks a second time as the ball is coming to him. He’s great at anticipating things and spotting options so that he’s not closed down.
What you do without the ball influences what you’ll do with it – what will happen next, whether you win the ball or a team-mate does. If I move a metre more to the left, it will have an impact on my team-mate’s decision in many ways. What’s more, it’s about looking at where the opponent is positioned, what you think they’ll do with the ball and where they’ll play the following pass. There are many things I believe are crucial when you’re out of possession to ensure you make the right decision when you regain possession.
Well, I read some time ago that the most complicated thing sometimes is to do the simplest thing. I do put a lot of energy into improving the simplest aspects, such as controlling the ball or making a pass; how much weight you put on it and where it goes. This can really condition how a passage of play goes and give more time to my team-mate, so that they’re in a better position because of my pass.
I understand football as being made up of different parts, different phases. As a player you look to improve overall, so you analyse your game in each phase. You improve your fitness to cover more ground; improve your involvement in both defence and attack, so as not to limit yourself. I’ve really noticed an improvement in terms of fitness as I’m now able to cover more ground. The temptation is to think: “My fitness level is already good, so there’s no need to improve it.” However, if you work on it you can cover those extra 20 metres and get into the box more easily; it adds to your game. So improving certain aspects of your game will then benefit your overall level.
“When I started, being a women’s footballer was not even considered a job. In the past 20 years, everything has changed”
To be honest I don’t stop to think about it. I didn’t stop to think about it when I didn’t have all these awards and now that they have given them to me, I don’t stop to think about it either. We are in a sport that gives you an award and two days later you have a match, then three days later you have another match. It’s a matter of never stopping and I love it. The seasons fly by, they really do. But I haven’t paused to take it in. I just try to keep improving, becoming more complete, and that’s the challenge every season, to win more trophies.
Not at all. When I started, being a women’s footballer was not even considered a job, at least in Spain. In the past 20 years everything has changed a lot, and I think that in the years to come this will change even more.
No. When someone talks to me about pressure, I always say the same: I love pressure. I love knowing that I must win every match, that we have to be the best. It’s part of my job and I might get bored if I didn’t feel like that.
I started when I was six years old or so. I played all the time in the school playground, in the town square. I don’t know where I got my passion for football because I don’t have any professional footballers in my family, but they were very keen on Barça. At my house they were always watching football.
I didn’t watch women’s football growing up because I basically didn’t have access to it; in my house we only watched men’s football. So Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, especially Andrés Iniesta and Xavi – there’s also Lionel Messi – they were my role models. As I got older I always liked Camille Abily, Louisa Nécib, Nadine Kessler – three quality midfielders. I tried to learn what I could from them.
Yes, especially during the pandemic. You’d be stuck at home and you’d put the TV on. There would be reruns of classic games from Xavi and Iniesta’s era. I tried to analyse the way they saw things: their passing and their positioning on the pitch. You improve by watching the best in the world and try to take something from their game. It’s not about copying them because each individual has their own strengths, but you watch these players to see what you can learn from them. Xavi looks around twice before receiving the ball. He doesn’t just take one glance, he looks a second time as the ball is coming to him. He’s great at anticipating things and spotting options so that he’s not closed down.
What you do without the ball influences what you’ll do with it – what will happen next, whether you win the ball or a team-mate does. If I move a metre more to the left, it will have an impact on my team-mate’s decision in many ways. What’s more, it’s about looking at where the opponent is positioned, what you think they’ll do with the ball and where they’ll play the following pass. There are many things I believe are crucial when you’re out of possession to ensure you make the right decision when you regain possession.
I started when I was six years old or so. I played all the time in the school playground, in the town square. I don’t know where I got my passion for football because I don’t have any professional footballers in my family, but they were very keen on Barça. At my house they were always watching football.
I didn’t watch women’s football growing up because I basically didn’t have access to it; in my house we only watched men’s football. So Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, especially Andrés Iniesta and Xavi – there’s also Lionel Messi – they were my role models. As I got older I always liked Camille Abily, Louisa Nécib, Nadine Kessler – three quality midfielders. I tried to learn what I could from them.
Yes, especially during the pandemic. You’d be stuck at home and you’d put the TV on. There would be reruns of classic games from Xavi and Iniesta’s era. I tried to analyse the way they saw things: their passing and their positioning on the pitch. You improve by watching the best in the world and try to take something from their game. It’s not about copying them because each individual has their own strengths, but you watch these players to see what you can learn from them. Xavi looks around twice before receiving the ball. He doesn’t just take one glance, he looks a second time as the ball is coming to him. He’s great at anticipating things and spotting options so that he’s not closed down.
What you do without the ball influences what you’ll do with it – what will happen next, whether you win the ball or a team-mate does. If I move a metre more to the left, it will have an impact on my team-mate’s decision in many ways. What’s more, it’s about looking at where the opponent is positioned, what you think they’ll do with the ball and where they’ll play the following pass. There are many things I believe are crucial when you’re out of possession to ensure you make the right decision when you regain possession.
I started when I was six years old or so. I played all the time in the school playground, in the town square. I don’t know where I got my passion for football because I don’t have any professional footballers in my family, but they were very keen on Barça. At my house they were always watching football.
I didn’t watch women’s football growing up because I basically didn’t have access to it; in my house we only watched men’s football. So Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, especially Andrés Iniesta and Xavi – there’s also Lionel Messi – they were my role models. As I got older I always liked Camille Abily, Louisa Nécib, Nadine Kessler – three quality midfielders. I tried to learn what I could from them.
Yes, especially during the pandemic. You’d be stuck at home and you’d put the TV on. There would be reruns of classic games from Xavi and Iniesta’s era. I tried to analyse the way they saw things: their passing and their positioning on the pitch. You improve by watching the best in the world and try to take something from their game. It’s not about copying them because each individual has their own strengths, but you watch these players to see what you can learn from them. Xavi looks around twice before receiving the ball. He doesn’t just take one glance, he looks a second time as the ball is coming to him. He’s great at anticipating things and spotting options so that he’s not closed down.
What you do without the ball influences what you’ll do with it – what will happen next, whether you win the ball or a team-mate does. If I move a metre more to the left, it will have an impact on my team-mate’s decision in many ways. What’s more, it’s about looking at where the opponent is positioned, what you think they’ll do with the ball and where they’ll play the following pass. There are many things I believe are crucial when you’re out of possession to ensure you make the right decision when you regain possession.
Well, I read some time ago that the most complicated thing sometimes is to do the simplest thing. I do put a lot of energy into improving the simplest aspects, such as controlling the ball or making a pass; how much weight you put on it and where it goes. This can really condition how a passage of play goes and give more time to my team-mate, so that they’re in a better position because of my pass.
I understand football as being made up of different parts, different phases. As a player you look to improve overall, so you analyse your game in each phase. You improve your fitness to cover more ground; improve your involvement in both defence and attack, so as not to limit yourself. I’ve really noticed an improvement in terms of fitness as I’m now able to cover more ground. The temptation is to think: “My fitness level is already good, so there’s no need to improve it.” However, if you work on it you can cover those extra 20 metres and get into the box more easily; it adds to your game. So improving certain aspects of your game will then benefit your overall level.
“When I started, being a women’s footballer was not even considered a job. In the past 20 years, everything has changed”
To be honest I don’t stop to think about it. I didn’t stop to think about it when I didn’t have all these awards and now that they have given them to me, I don’t stop to think about it either. We are in a sport that gives you an award and two days later you have a match, then three days later you have another match. It’s a matter of never stopping and I love it. The seasons fly by, they really do. But I haven’t paused to take it in. I just try to keep improving, becoming more complete, and that’s the challenge every season, to win more trophies.
Not at all. When I started, being a women’s footballer was not even considered a job, at least in Spain. In the past 20 years everything has changed a lot, and I think that in the years to come this will change even more.
No. When someone talks to me about pressure, I always say the same: I love pressure. I love knowing that I must win every match, that we have to be the best. It’s part of my job and I might get bored if I didn’t feel like that.
I started when I was six years old or so. I played all the time in the school playground, in the town square. I don’t know where I got my passion for football because I don’t have any professional footballers in my family, but they were very keen on Barça. At my house they were always watching football.
I didn’t watch women’s football growing up because I basically didn’t have access to it; in my house we only watched men’s football. So Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, especially Andrés Iniesta and Xavi – there’s also Lionel Messi – they were my role models. As I got older I always liked Camille Abily, Louisa Nécib, Nadine Kessler – three quality midfielders. I tried to learn what I could from them.
Yes, especially during the pandemic. You’d be stuck at home and you’d put the TV on. There would be reruns of classic games from Xavi and Iniesta’s era. I tried to analyse the way they saw things: their passing and their positioning on the pitch. You improve by watching the best in the world and try to take something from their game. It’s not about copying them because each individual has their own strengths, but you watch these players to see what you can learn from them. Xavi looks around twice before receiving the ball. He doesn’t just take one glance, he looks a second time as the ball is coming to him. He’s great at anticipating things and spotting options so that he’s not closed down.
What you do without the ball influences what you’ll do with it – what will happen next, whether you win the ball or a team-mate does. If I move a metre more to the left, it will have an impact on my team-mate’s decision in many ways. What’s more, it’s about looking at where the opponent is positioned, what you think they’ll do with the ball and where they’ll play the following pass. There are many things I believe are crucial when you’re out of possession to ensure you make the right decision when you regain possession.
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