Latest news with #SalmaParalluelo
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
England hero Hannah Hampton reveals hidden family heartbreak on the eve of Euro 2025 as she pens emotional message
England star Hannah Hampton has revealed a family heartbreak she suffered prior to Euro 2025 after posting an emotional message on social media. Hampton, 24, took to Instagram to share a touching tribute to her grandfather, who she revealed passed away two days before the start of the tournament, which began on July 2. She wrote: 'Two days before the biggest tournament of my life, you left. 'It still doesn't feel real. I kept thinking when I'd call nannie I'd hear your voice again - one of your jokes, or one of those little comments you'd make that somehow said everything without saying much at all. 'You were one of my biggest supporters. You believed in me before I even knew what this journey would look like. You were always there - watching, encouraging, teaching. You taught me so much, not just about football, but about life. About staying grounded, working hard, being resilient and doing things the right way. 'I miss our chats. I miss you saying 'Only us athletes understand' — always with a little smirk like you were in on something special. And you were. You got it. You understood what this meant to me. You understood what it took.' Hampton denied both Mariona Caldentey and Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati from the spot, before Salma Paralluelo fired wide – capping a second shootout masterclass from the 24-year-old at this tournament. She also saved two penalties in England's chaotic quarter-final win over Sweden, establishing herself as one of the breakout stars of the summer. It marks a remarkable rise for Hampton, who was an understudy to Mary Earps during England's Euros triumph on home soil in 2022 and again at the 2023 Women's World Cup. Earps herself won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2023 after saving a penalty in the World Cup final — also against Spain — albeit in a losing cause. Earps finished ahead of Stuart Broad and Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the public vote that year. According to Betfair, Hampton is now joint second-favourite at 5/1 to win SPOTY, behind only Rory McIlroy, who leads the market at Evens after a stellar season that included winning The Masters in April — his first Green Jacket and fifth major overall Hampton continued her tribute by adding: 'It breaks my heart that you didn't get to see me walk out for our country at my first major tournament... something you dreamed of for me, something we talked about so many times. I wanted to see your face or hear your voice after the game calling back home. I wanted to share that with you. 'But I know, deep down, you were still there. I felt you with me. In the tunnel. On the pitch. In the tough moments. I heard you in my head when I needed strength.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Euro 2025: Five Spanish players to watch in final against England
Get ready for a huge final at the women's Euros, as the two best sides in Europe go will be hoping to defend the title which they won at the last European Championship in 2022, but it won't be easy. They face Spain in a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final - which Spain who are the top Spanish footballers to look out for? Here are some of their star players hoping to lift the trophy this weekend. Aitana Bonmati Current Ballon d'Or holder Aitana Bonmati is one of Spain's most talked about Barcelona midfielder has won football's top award for the last two fact, her trophy cabinet is looking pretty is also the current holder of the Best Fifa Women's Player, which is presented to the footballer considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar the Women's World Cup in 2023, she was awarded the Fifa Golden Ball Award, given to the tournament's best wonder she's the highest-paid female footballer in the world at the moment, earning around £830,000 a year. Salma Paralluelo Salma Paralluelo joined Spanish giants Barcelona in 2022, and the 21-year-old has already been making a big impression at the club - scoring 38 goals in 53 up she was a talented track and field athlete, and she's managed to convert those skills into becoming a versatile striker, known for making great runs down the has already enjoyed huge success with Spain, both with the youth and senior is the first player in history, male or female, to have won all three Fifa World Cups - having won the Women's World Cup in 2023 as well as the 2022 U20 World Cup AND the U17 World Cup in 2018. In fact, at the most recent Women's World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, Paralluelo was awarded the Best Young Player of the tournament. Alexia Putellas Alexia Putellas is one of Spain's most famous Bonmati, Putellas has also won the women's Ballon d'Or on two occasions - in 2021 and 2022. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest female footballers of all Barcelona captain is one of the most honoured players in the women's game - having won a whole heap of major club and individual is back in the squad after missing the last European Championships due to been making her presence known, so far she's been involved in the most goals and created the most chances of any player at Euro 2025. Olga Carmona You might recognise the name Olga the 2023 Women's World Cup final against the Lionesses, she won the match for Spain after slotting the only goal of the game past England goalkeeper Mary 25-year-old is known for being one of Spain's most versatile players - a left back who is also able to score and provide assists. Earlier this year, she was named in the FIFPRO World 11 team of the year, which represents the best footballers in the current game - as voted for by fellow pro players. Carmona has also got new challenges waiting for her after the recently signed for French club Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year contract from Real Madrid, where she was captain. Clàudia Pina Pina is widely seen as one of the biggest new talents in the senior Spain 23-year-old actually began her career playing futsal - a type of five-a-side football that is often played indoors on a much smaller pitch or plays for Barcelona, and made her first official appearance for the senior squad in 2018 at the age of just established herself as a creative attacker and a gifted goal scorer, known for her long-range Lionesses will need to keep an extra close eye out for the scored both goals against England in Spain's 2-1 victory at the last meeting between the two teams, in the women's Nations League in June.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Germany vs Spain Box Score - July 23, 2025
Aitana Bonmatí scores with right footed shot from the right of the box. Assist from Athenea del Castillo. Yellow card given to Salma Paralluelo for a foul. Yellow card given to Patri Guijarro for a foul. S. Kleinherne is forced to leave the match due to injury, replaced by S. Lohmann. Yellow card given to Esther González for a foul. Yellow card given to S. Däbritz for a foul. Errors Leading to Goal / Errors Leading to Shot xGOT (Expected goals on target) Faced Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Errors Leading to Goal / Errors Leading to Shot xGOT (Expected goals on target) Faced Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Aerials Won / Aerials Total Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons Chances Created in Open Play / Chances Created Expected Assists / Assists Passes Completed / Total Passes Attempted Take Ons Completed / Take Ons
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Salma Paralluelo interview: ‘I couldn't give my all because of the pain. I had to stop'
When Salma Paralluelo returned from the Olympics last summer, she knew something had to change. The winger had played football consistently ever since giving up a promising athletics career in 2022 to join Barcelona but the pain was becoming too much and her body was struggling to cope with adapting to the different requirements of the sport. 'It's hard to stop playing but I had reached a point where I just had to accept it,' Paralluelo tells The Athletic. 'I saw that (carrying on) wasn't going to do me any good. I wasn't going to be able to perform or enjoy myself on the pitch. 'It's upsetting to see your team-mates playing without you, to be away from the group, but I knew it was what I had to do at that moment.' The Barcelona forward, now 21, took four months out and is now back to full fitness, appearing in her second major tournament with Spain. This is the story of why she took the unconventional step to pre-emptively stop playing, and how she bounced back just in time to help Spain at Euro 2025. When Paralluelo was given the chance to join Barcelona in the summer of 2022, she was forced to choose between the two sports she had competed in throughout her youth: football and athletics. Until then, she had played for Villarreal, who allowed her to combine both passions. But when the Catalan club came calling, she chose football. Even before then, her ability had put her in the spotlight, despite not yet playing for a club of Barca's calibre. She was one of the first players in Spanish women's football to generate major hype long before turning 18. Her athletic physique, speed and dribbling ability made her an eye-catching prospect, and one who many teams wanted to sign. Although Paralluelo can play as a centre-forward or on the right, her natural habitat is on the left wing. At the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, she won the tournament's award for best young player. She was only 19 but was crucial for Spain. She scored a 111th-minute winner against the Netherlands in the quarter-final, then gave her side an 81st-minute lead against Sweden in the semi-final. She then started the final in Sydney, where Spain beat reigning European champions England to secure their first Women's World Cup. If that was a summer of joy, 2024 was one of disappointment. Spain's women went to their first Olympic football tournament with great expectations, but left empty-handed after losing to Brazil in the semi-final, then Germany in the bronze-medal match. On top of all that, Paralluelo's body was telling her enough was enough. To understand her pain, we have to go back to the days when she was still playing for Villarreal and training and competing in athletics. Then she suffered one of the worst injuries a footballer can experience. 'In 2021, I injured my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament),' she says during an interview in Lausanne, where Spain have set up camp for Euro 2025. 'After I eventually returned to playing, I could feel slight discomfort in my patella, but I didn't pay much attention at the time. By the time I arrived at Barca (in 2022), the discomfort was quite noticeable. I was training in pain, working out in the gym in pain and it was becoming more and more limiting. By the Olympics, I reached a critical point. 'Playing through the pain only made it worse, and I was at high risk of injury. I couldn't give my all because of the pain. 'That's when I decided to stop. Other players had told me how serious it was, that I should have stopped earlier. But because of my youth, because I didn't want to miss out on cool things like the Champions League and the World Cup, I decided just to keep playing.' When she made the decision, she found support from her club. Barca gave her everything she needed to recover without rushing. 'They didn't put any pressure on me and helped me realise that I was doing the right thing, that I would recover and have a better future,' she adds. 'I've learned that sometimes you have to put yourself first, approach things sensibly and think about the future, not just what you have in the present. The important thing is to feel comfortable on the pitch and be in good long-term health, rather than doing everything you can to be on the pitch.' By the time she returned to Barca in mid-December, the pain she had been feeling for so long had completely disappeared. 'Before, I had been training in so much pain that I was avoiding making certain movements. I was thinking about what to avoid doing so it wouldn't hurt, instead of just thinking about playing football. Now I'm in much less pain.' One of Paralluelo's strengths is her speed and explosive play, something that the injury prevented her from exploiting. 'It was frustrating to go out on the pitch and not perform as well as I wanted. You can have good games and good spells but it was something I didn't really enjoy. I was limited.' Paralluelo has spent her whole life preparing for a sport that is played for 90 minutes, football, and another to compete at her best for 40 seconds, athletics. She competed in athletics at a high level. Her coach Felix Lagunas told The Athletic in 2023 that 'if she had chosen athletics and injuries had respected her, she would have ended up in an athletics final at the Olympic Games for sure'. 'You will have heard of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who broke the world record in the 400-metre hurdles. Or Allyson Felix, who dominated the 200m and 400m during her time. Well, Salma — at her age, without training — was achieving better times than both of them,' he said. When she stopped training in athletics, she realised she had to readjust the daily routine she had followed for years. She also had to get used to life away from a sport that had played such an important role for so long. 'At first, I really missed the athlete part of me,' she says. 'It's a matter of adapting to football, changing your mindset. In the end, I had to give 100 per cent to one sport. I had to forget about athletics.' Adjusting her training was a gradual process. 'In the end, competition demands a lot from you, but together with the staff, myself and the physical trainers, we made that adjustment,' she says. 'I was coming from training (football) two days a week and the other days I was doing athletics, and then I went to training every day with a team as demanding as Barca, and I suffered from those changes.' Despite her young age, her record is enviable. With Spain, she has won every World Cup she has played in: under-17 (2018), under-20 (2022) and senior (2023), as well as the Nations League in 2024. With Barca, she already has two Champions League titles (2022-23 and 2023-24), three Liga F titles, two Copa de la Reina titles and two Supercopas de Espana. Now she has the chance to lift one of the few football trophies she has not yet won: the senior European Championship (she won the under-17 title in 2018). 'I've been experienced things from a very young age that you can't really imagine experiencing so early on,' she says. 'But you think about continuing, about the ambition and motivation to repeat something. That's also a stimulus for all of us as athletes, and even more so in this team, and you can tell that we still have the European Championship and the Olympic Games to look forward to as a group. But in the end, what counts each year is the competition you have. What you've already done is in the past.' In this tournament, she has only started against Italy, but her ability to break down the wings makes her an interesting player for head coach Montse Tome going into Wednesday's semi-final against Germany in Zurich. Tome only reveals her team to the players on the day of the game. 'The job of all the players is to be ready whenever it's time to go into battle,' Paralluelo says. Does she see herself in the final? 'Not yet,' she replies. 'First, Germany.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Barcelona, Spain, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Salma Paralluelo interview: ‘I couldn't give my all because of the pain. I had to stop'
When Salma Paralluelo returned from the Olympics last summer, she knew something had to change. The winger had played football consistently ever since giving up a promising athletics career in 2022 to join Barcelona but the pain was becoming too much and her body was struggling to cope with adapting to the different requirements of the sport. Advertisement 'It's hard to stop playing but I had reached a point where I just had to accept it,' Paralluelo tells The Athletic. 'I saw that (carrying on) wasn't going to do me any good. I wasn't going to be able to perform or enjoy myself on the pitch. 'It's upsetting to see your team-mates playing without you, to be away from the group, but I knew it was what I had to do at that moment.' The Barcelona forward, now 21, took four months out and is now back to full fitness, appearing in her second major tournament with Spain. This is the story of why she took the unconventional step to pre-emptively stop playing, and how she bounced back just in time to help Spain at Euro 2025. When Paralluelo was given the chance to join Barcelona in the summer of 2022, she was forced to choose between the two sports she had competed in throughout her youth: football and athletics. Until then, she had played for Villarreal, who allowed her to combine both passions. But when the Catalan club came calling, she chose football. Even before then, her ability had put her in the spotlight, despite not yet playing for a club of Barca's calibre. She was one of the first players in Spanish women's football to generate major hype long before turning 18. Her athletic physique, speed and dribbling ability made her an eye-catching prospect, and one who many teams wanted to sign. Although Paralluelo can play as a centre-forward or on the right, her natural habitat is on the left wing. At the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, she won the tournament's award for best young player. She was only 19 but was crucial for Spain. She scored a 111th-minute winner against the Netherlands in the quarter-final, then gave her side an 81st-minute lead against Sweden in the semi-final. She then started the final in Sydney, where Spain beat reigning European champions England to secure their first Women's World Cup. Advertisement If that was a summer of joy, 2024 was one of disappointment. Spain's women went to their first Olympic football tournament with great expectations, but left empty-handed after losing to Brazil in the semi-final, then Germany in the bronze-medal match. On top of all that, Paralluelo's body was telling her enough was enough. To understand her pain, we have to go back to the days when she was still playing for Villarreal and training and competing in athletics. Then she suffered one of the worst injuries a footballer can experience. 'In 2021, I injured my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament),' she says during an interview in Lausanne, where Spain have set up camp for Euro 2025. 'After I eventually returned to playing, I could feel slight discomfort in my patella, but I didn't pay much attention at the time. By the time I arrived at Barca (in 2022), the discomfort was quite noticeable. I was training in pain, working out in the gym in pain and it was becoming more and more limiting. By the Olympics, I reached a critical point. 'Playing through the pain only made it worse, and I was at high risk of injury. I couldn't give my all because of the pain. 'That's when I decided to stop. Other players had told me how serious it was, that I should have stopped earlier. But because of my youth, because I didn't want to miss out on cool things like the Champions League and the World Cup, I decided just to keep playing.' When she made the decision, she found support from her club. Barca gave her everything she needed to recover without rushing. 'They didn't put any pressure on me and helped me realise that I was doing the right thing, that I would recover and have a better future,' she adds. 'I've learned that sometimes you have to put yourself first, approach things sensibly and think about the future, not just what you have in the present. The important thing is to feel comfortable on the pitch and be in good long-term health, rather than doing everything you can to be on the pitch.' Advertisement By the time she returned to Barca in mid-December, the pain she had been feeling for so long had completely disappeared. 'Before, I had been training in so much pain that I was avoiding making certain movements. I was thinking about what to avoid doing so it wouldn't hurt, instead of just thinking about playing football. Now I'm in much less pain.' One of Paralluelo's strengths is her speed and explosive play, something that the injury prevented her from exploiting. 'It was frustrating to go out on the pitch and not perform as well as I wanted. You can have good games and good spells but it was something I didn't really enjoy. I was limited.' Paralluelo has spent her whole life preparing for a sport that is played for 90 minutes, football, and another to compete at her best for 40 seconds, athletics. She competed in athletics at a high level. Her coach Felix Lagunas told The Athletic in 2023 that 'if she had chosen athletics and injuries had respected her, she would have ended up in an athletics final at the Olympic Games for sure'. 'You will have heard of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who broke the world record in the 400-metre hurdles. Or Allyson Felix, who dominated the 200m and 400m during her time. Well, Salma — at her age, without training — was achieving better times than both of them,' he said. When she stopped training in athletics, she realised she had to readjust the daily routine she had followed for years. She also had to get used to life away from a sport that had played such an important role for so long. 'At first, I really missed the athlete part of me,' she says. 'It's a matter of adapting to football, changing your mindset. In the end, I had to give 100 per cent to one sport. I had to forget about athletics.' Adjusting her training was a gradual process. Advertisement 'In the end, competition demands a lot from you, but together with the staff, myself and the physical trainers, we made that adjustment,' she says. 'I was coming from training (football) two days a week and the other days I was doing athletics, and then I went to training every day with a team as demanding as Barca, and I suffered from those changes.' Despite her young age, her record is enviable. With Spain, she has won every World Cup she has played in: under-17 (2018), under-20 (2022) and senior (2023), as well as the Nations League in 2024. With Barca, she already has two Champions League titles (2022-23 and 2023-24), three Liga F titles, two Copa de la Reina titles and two Supercopas de Espana. Now she has the chance to lift one of the few football trophies she has not yet won: the senior European Championship (she won the under-17 title in 2018). 'I've been experienced things from a very young age that you can't really imagine experiencing so early on,' she says. 'But you think about continuing, about the ambition and motivation to repeat something. That's also a stimulus for all of us as athletes, and even more so in this team, and you can tell that we still have the European Championship and the Olympic Games to look forward to as a group. But in the end, what counts each year is the competition you have. What you've already done is in the past.' In this tournament, she has only started against Italy, but her ability to break down the wings makes her an interesting player for head coach Montse Tome going into Wednesday's semi-final against Germany in Zurich. Tome only reveals her team to the players on the day of the game. 'The job of all the players is to be ready whenever it's time to go into battle,' Paralluelo says. Does she see herself in the final? 'Not yet,' she replies. 'First, Germany.'
