Jenni Hermoso is a Spanish icon after winning the World Cup with the team in 2023.
Hermoso, who won her first cap for Spain in 2012, has played for her country over 100 times.
But which clubs has she played for and what else has she won? Here’s all you need to know.
Jenni Hermoso and her rise to the top
After breaking through at her hometown club – Atletico Madrid – Hermoso joined Rayo Vallecano and earned her first call-up to the Spanish senior side in September 2011.
The forward helped La Roja to Euro 2013 qualification in her first few games, with a first international goal in a friendly against Russia following in January 2013. Her career truly took off in earnest at that first major tournament, topped off with a player of the match performance in a 3-2 win over England, as Spain reached the quarter-finals for the first time.
Hermoso would then join Barcelona in 2014, who were just embarking on an era of domination across the Spanish game, winning both the domestic league and cup, scoring 77 goals in 90 games after advancing her position up the field to regularly play as a ‘false 9.’
After a less successful spell with PSG, Hermoso returned to former club Atletico in 2018 for one season.
She was then re-signed to Barcelona as Lluis Cortes aimed to rebuild the team in a European Cup winning machine.
Hermoso’s maiden Champions League title followed in 2021, with a 4-0 win over Chelsea with the Spaniard receiving the tournament’s best forward award for her efforts.
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Hermoso moved to Mexican club Pachuca in 2022, by which time she had become the Spanish senior sides’ all-time top scorer.
Her move away from Europe didn’t deter her importance to the national team, with Hermoso playing a star role in Spain’s road to World Cup glory in New Zealand and Australia.
She scored three goals and finished runner-up to teammate Aitana Bonmati for the player of the tournament gong – despite missing a penalty in the final against England and Mary Earps.
After the initial fall-out of the Luis Rubiales incident, Hermoso didn’t feature in the first post-World Cup national camp, after a Spanish player boycott only ended at the last minute after government intervention.
But with a deal eventually struck, Hermoso returned to the Spain team for the October internationals – making a sensational return to the team when scoring an 89th minute winner against Italy in the Nations League.
The forward has continued to play a key role in the new era, adding a further five international goals across 2024 to her overall tally of 57. Hermoso has since moved to another Mexican side, now plying her trade with Tigres UANL.
What happened at the World Cup?
When Spain became FIFA Women’s World Cup winners for the very first time in 2023 it should have been an entirely joyous moment.
Yet the immediate aftermath, brought about by a notorious incident, rocked not only women’s football but sparked a sexism debate in sport and beyond.
Hermoso received an unsolicited kiss on the lips from Rubiales, then president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation.
The repercussions of the incident saw Rubiales resigning only weeks after the final and later being banned by FIFA from football for three years.
