“Jenni, Jenni.”
The chant from the Spain fans grew louder as more and more people realised that Jenni Hermoso was warming up on the sidelines at La Rosaleda midway through the second half.
With her hair styled in her usual high bun, she bowed her head, overcome with emotion, but couldn’t help but let out a shy smile.
“Wave, wave.”
She couldn’t help herself any longer. She raised her head towards the stands, smiling, and waved to the crowd, who applauded excitedly.
A few metres away, on the pitch, Mapi Leon had started the first leg of the Nations League semi-final against Sweden, which Sonia Bermudez’s team won 4-0.
It was a night of debuts and “redebuts”. Bermudez made her debut on the bench in the match. There were comebacks like Leon, who had not played for the national team of her own accord since 2022. She was one of 15 players who, after the Euros in England, asked not to return until the RFEF made significant changes. Hermoso had also not been called up since October 2024.
This came just a few months after Luis Rubiales was tried for an unwanted kiss on Hermoso during the celebrations for Spain’s World Cup victory in 2023, for which he was found guilty of sexual assault.
When Hermoso came on in the 87th minute, the entire stadium applauded their all-time leading scorer in one of the most exciting comebacks in memory. A lot had happened, but finally, it felt like the war was over.
Hermoso only played for five minutes, but she was able to feel the warmth of her fans, who had been calling for her return for a year. This was a year in which she must have had a difficult time after a tough trial and an even worse public trial. The striker, who remains the team’s all-time leading scorer, left amid tears of emotion and hugs from several of her teammates.
Barring any major surprises, with a 4-0 result, Spain should be in the Nations League final. These were not minnows they faced. Sweden are third in the FIFA rankings and are starting a new era with Tony Gustavsson on the bench.
Spain completely dominated Sweden. Alexia Putellas scored two goals, the first a stunning free kick, as did Claudia Pina, who came off the bench to replace the injured Salma Paralluelo in the first half and ended up being named MVP.
The Swedes did not have a single shot on goal, compared to Spain’s seven shots on target.
Watching this match against a powerhouse like Sweden, one wonders how Spain could have lost the Euro 2025 final to England on penalties.
But, in a way, they did win something last summer. As they progressed through the rounds to the final in Basel, one song became the soundtrack to the celebrations in the dressing room: “El principio de algo” (The beginning of something) by La La Love You and Samurai.
And that was precisely what they won: the definitive end to the war between the players and the Spanish Football Federation that erupted in October 2022 and continued after winning the World Cup in 2023.
The Spanish Federation now feels like a professional space for women’s football.
Following the rebellion of the Spanish players between October 2022 and after the 2023 World Cup, Euro 2025 was the first competition in which the significant changes that had been achieved were really seen.
Normally, they stayed in low-budget hotels or ones that were far from the nerve centres of the competition, which meant longer bus journeys. This time, they had a luxurious hotel in the centre of Lausanne, decked out with Spanish national team branding, and one of the few training grounds in the entire competition that met all UEFA standards.
They returned there every night after the matches to get a better night’s rest. They were also allowed to have family rooms where players who were mothers during the tournament could spend time with their families, something that had not been the case before.
At Euro 2025 — and for the first time — two doctors and six physiotherapists travelled with the team, along with seven people from the communications department, one from ticketing and another from fan experience, and a sommelier.
The players finally felt that they were in a professional environment without any “buts”.
“Now we have the perfect food, we recover better with more physios, a psychologist, comfortable travel, a gym in all the facilities… those details also make a difference on the pitch,” Guijarro said in an interview with El Mundo a few weeks ago. “I remember that in England (Euro 2022), the food was always the same. When you’re at the top, those details matter.”
When Euro 2025 ended, Spain had achieved a historic second place. It was historic because Spain had never reached the final of a European Championship before, and it is the only football title that many in the squad have yet to win. Precisely because of that, though, and because of how the team performed, it was a bitter loss, and the wounds are still open.
The RFEF did not renew then-manager Tome’s contract after the tournament. According to sources around the team, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships, this would have happened even if they had won the Euro. Normally, the RFEF renews its coaches’ contracts before major competitions as a gesture of confidence, but in this case, that was not the case. Tome was the assistant to Jorge Vilda, the coach during the 2023 World Cup, whom the players asked to be dismissed in their fight for improvements to the team.
With Tome’s departure, the last link to one of the darkest episodes in Spanish women’s football was gone. It felt like a definitive end.
Of the players who voluntarily decided not to go to the World Cup, it was only Mapi who had not yet returned, the one who had the highest standards and conditions for that to happen.
Leon’s return comes after she was given a two-match ban following an incident with RCD Espanyol player Daniela Caracas in April this year. Espanyol said the incident “violated the privacy of Caracas”. Leon was banned based on article 129 of its disciplinary code, outlining “conduct contrary to good sporting conduct”. Leon said that “at no time did I violate, nor did I have the intention to violate” Caracas.
The return of both players and what it implies could mean a change in dynamics within the RFEF, which has historically punished and ignored players who have rebelled. Bermudez may not have much experience on the bench yet, and many thought that a team like Spain deserved an elite coach. But the new coach has earned the respect of her squad in her first few months in charge.
She was a legendary player for Spain, sharing a dressing room with Alexia Putellas at Barcelona. She may understand better than previous coaches what it means to be a footballer and the dynamics of the dressing room. She knows how to manage the squad.
Who knows if, with her on the bench, Spain will begin a new era that is much calmer than the previous one. The 4-0 win against Sweden is certainly a good start.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Spain, Women’s Soccer
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