Spain's women battled sexism and indifference. Now the world champions are eyeing European title
The national team has had to fight for better coaching, decent travel conditions, and modern training facilities.
It paid off with a World Cup title in 2023, the Nations League crown last year, and on Sunday they face England in the European Championship final.
"It has been a constant with the national team that we have had to fight for acceptable work conditions that would allow us to play at our best," former Spain defender Marta Torrejón told The Associated Press by phone on Friday.
Torrejón lived through the lean years, the time when playing for her country felt like, in her words, a "waste of time."
And she knows from talking with Barcelona teammates who still play for their country how much things have improved.
Torrejón retired from international soccer after the 2019 World Cup as Spain's then most-capped player with 90 appearances. She has since helped Barcelona win three Champions League titles and a slew of other trophies.
She also played a part in one of the revolts Spain's women have staged to demand more from the men who run the game.
After the 2015 World Cup, Torrejón and other players successfully pushed for the removal of coach Ignacio Quereda, who had run the team for nearly three decades, for his poor preparation ahead of the team's first appearance in the competition.
Quereda was later accused by former players of verbal abuse, an allegation he denied.
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