Spanish Women Football Team History: Top 10 Fun Facts

A Brief History

Once upon a time, in the land of flamenco and paella, women’s football was as rare as a snowflake in the Sahara. But let’s rewind to the 1970s, when Rafael Muga, a visionary, decided to form a national football team¹. This was a bold move, considering football was deemed an “unsuitable sport for women” by the Royal Spanish Football Federation²¹.

Fast forward to 1980, the Federation finally recognized women’s football³. It took another eight years for a national league to be established⁴. From then on, it was a rollercoaster ride of victories and challenges, with the team breaking into the top 10 of the FIFA World Rankings in the early 2020s².

Ten Hilarious Facts

1. Nickname: They’re known as “La Roja” (The Red), but don’t mistake them for tomatoes on the field².
2. First International Match: Their first official match was against Portugal in 1983, and they lost 1-0². Talk about a rough start!
3. Biggest Win: They once trounced Slovenia 17-0². That’s more goals than my local pub team has scored in their entire existence.
4. World Cup Champions: They won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023². Who needs the men’s team, anyway?
5. UEFA Women’s Championship: They’ve qualified four times, reaching the semi-finals in 1997². So close, yet so far!
6. FIFA Ranking: They reached their highest FIFA ranking (2nd) in August 2023². That’s higher than my FIFA video game ranking will ever be.
7. Top Scorer: Jennifer Hermoso has scored 52 goals². That’s more than I’ve scored in my dreams!
8. Most Caps: Alexia Putellas has made 113 appearances². That’s a lot of laundry for the kit manager.
9. Head Coach: Montserrat Tomé is the head coach². She’s the mastermind behind their tiki-taka.
10. World Champions: They’re the current world champions in all three female categories (U-17, U-20, and senior level)². They’re basically the Avengers of football.

Spanish Women’s Football Team’s winning stats (as of Saturday, December 9, 2023)

So there you have it, a brief history and ten hilarious facts about the Spanish Women’s Football Team. They’ve come a long way from being considered “unsuitable” for football to becoming world champions. Now, that’s what I call a Cinderella story!