The Spanish team won the Women’s World Cup in Australia. When success comes, few remember that this sport has not always been well received when practiced by women, either in the federations, in society and in the public sphere. The players’ task was daunting: they not only asserted themselves on the field, but also made those who viewed them with skepticism surrender to their quality. Few adjectives can define the feat. They went through tough times, suffering a landslide defeat to Japan and there were moments when it looked like it wasn’t going to work out, but since they reached the final, views have started to change. And they did not disappoint, despite the enormous responsibility and expectations they were able to raise. If there was a time when women were laughed at and despised for playing with a ball, that time is history, though the claws of machismo are still in place. The strength of overcoming a missed penalty against great rivals England in the final is a measure of the solidity of a side that have excelled at many individuals at this World Cup but whose triumph was ultimately a collective task. The Spanish soccer players wrote in brackets the difficulties their challenge presented, as well as possible losses, and they set off towards victory. You did it.
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