Salma Paralluelo: Spain’s ‘Unique’ emerging star
The 19-year-old Barcelona winger’s coach and teammates believe she is destined for greatness after she scored an incredible winning goal in the Women’s World Cup quarterfinal.
Salma Paralluelo collected a through ball in the Dutch half with nine minutes remaining in extra time of Spain’s quarterfinal match against the Netherlands, bamboozled the Dutch defenders with a step-over, and unleashed a thunderous left-footed shot that clanged off the post and into the net, sending her team into their first-ever Women’s World Cup semi-final.
As the game approached its conclusion, coach Jorge Vilda tried to utilize the 19-year-old Barcelona winger’s speed and ability to cut between the sides by bringing her off the bench in the 71st minute.KEEP READING list of 3 items list 1 of 3 More teams, more upsets: How minnows challenged giants at Women’s World Cup list 2 of 3 Who is Zecira Musovic, Sweden’s breakout World Cup star? list 3 of 3 Spain football captain apologises after haka mocking video.
Born to a Spanish father and an Equatorial Guinean mother in the northern city of Zaragoza, Paralluelo represented Spain in both football and athletics, dominating the 400-meter hurdles up until her final competitive race in 2020.
Despite others advising her to “stick to one sport,” Paralluelo said in an interview with FIFA last year that she began playing both sports when she was seven.
“Athletics allowed me to be on my own, to be exposed, to train for myself and know that everything I was doing was for me alone,” she said ahead of her starring role at the FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup 2022 in Costa Rica, where she scored two goals in the final as Spain lifted
