D-Day for Lucía Corrales and the Spain Senior Team

Date: 30 May; location: Leuven, Belgium; stadium: Den Dreef; opponent: Belgium; minute: 77… These are the details of Lucía Corrales’ dream debut for the Senior Women’s National Football Team. A magical moment that the F.C. Barcelona player will no doubt never forget.

Montse Tomé called her over to give her instructions and, a few minutes later, she was out on the pitch doing what her coach had told her to do – what she does best – showcasing her football skills. The coach told her: “To do what I’ve done until now, not to try anything new, because I know how to do it, to give it my all and it’ll go brilliantly.”

With the usual nerves for such a momentous occasion, it’s no surprise that she was overjoyed at the end of the match: “I’m really happy to be able to make my debut with this team. It’s a real honour for me to be with the National Team.”

And indeed, the all-rounder from Inca, who had been training with the Under-23s, received a call from Montse to replace Laia Codina ahead of the matches against Belgium and England. She then trained with the team on Monday and Tuesday and on match day, she didn’t disappoint her coach: “She came in with confidence, I saw she was eager, I saw she was bold… It’s a joy to have her with us.”

After winning the Under-17 World Cup in India in 2022, Corrales’ talent and versatility are just beginning their story with this team.