The Beginning of Something: How Spain Won Despite Defeat

An analysis piece arguing that Spain’s biggest victory of the summer was structural rather than sporting. It opens with Aitana Bonmati explaining that staff had studied Ann-Katrin Berger’s movements before her extra-time semi-final winner, then traces years of players asking for professional conditions and being branded capricious, rebellious and brats by some of the country’s biggest newspapers. Alexia Putellas, quoted from her documentary Labor Omnia Vincit, recalls six- and seven-hour bus journeys while opponents flew, and 3am alarms that were no athlete’s schedule. The turning point came when Reyes Bellver, who co-founded the players’ union FUTPRO with Patri Guijarro, joined the federation as sports director for women’s football. Guijarro, one of the 15 who withdrew in September 2022 and who sat out the World Cup, embodies the change. The most repeated line in the Spanish media, the piece notes, was that they were finally talking about football.