Spain are reigning world champions at U20 level and have won the last two U17 titles. In teenager Salma Paralluelo, scorer of two goals in the knockout stage, they have the Best Young Player of the Women’s World Cup. The much-maligned Vilda spotted her potential early, calling her into his squad for last year’s Women’s Euro, albeit injury eventually ruled her out.
What comes next for Vilda has not been confirmed but after previously overseeing three major tournaments without winning a knockout match – and earning accusations of not preparing his team properly for the Euro quarter-final loss to England – he is now firmly in credit and expected to remain in place until the Olympics. The federation has earned praise too for providing more support staff for this campaign and spending €15,000 on bringing players’ families over.
Vilda praised Spain’s “footballing DNA” after the final, saying that working with “the same philosophy for nearly 15 years means our players can play on memory almost”.