Alba Redondo and Spain reaching for the stars down under

Alba Redondo is one of a handful of Spain players to have made their World Cup debuts in New Zealand and Australia. She made her bow replacing Ester González in the 3-0 win over Costa Rica, then appeared for the second half in La Roja’s second outing of the tournament, against Zambia and found the target twice in the 5-0 win - underlining her role as a dependable option for Jorge Vilda in attack.

Shy and affable, the Levante forward admits that she is living a dream with the national team and adds that Spain are aiming for the ultimate prize at the Women’s World Cup. The team, unbeaten and with zero goals against, needs to avoid defeat to end as champions of Group C in Monday’s final group game, against Japan.

Alba Redondo playing at the World Cup... can you believe it?

Until recently, I didn’t actually believe I was here. It finally came home to me when I made my debut. It’s like a dream. I’m up in a cloud, but with my feet firmly on the ground and working hard.

Can you feel the warmth of the fans back home in Spain?

I am in direct contact with my family, with friends. And I have to admit that I read quit a lot on social media, on Twitter. I can feel that we have a lot of support back in Spain.

What messages have you received?

Positive words, messages of support, messages of encouragement - everything is positive.

I have to ask you about social media, how involved with it are you?

Sometimes it’s a bit difficult, but at the end of the day, we have to focus on the sensations we have out on the pitch. It’s not just about what I think. I like to hear the opinions of the people I have around me, who obviously know a lot about football. I can be wrong so it’s good to hear their point of view...

At what point do you see yourself in your career?

Right now, I feel very good, I feel valued. I feel very confident and full of energy to continue working hard. I am prepared for whatever comes in my way.

Whose opinion do you take most into account? The ones that affects you the most…

Everyone in my family, obviously. I always take their opinion on board. Also, because they are very, very critical of me - that’s what I ask from them, to be honest with me and give me an objective outlook about what happened on the pitch. Since there are quite a lot of people in my family, between my brother, my partner and my parents, sometimes the opinions are not very objective! (laughs).

How is the team?

For me, the team’s like never before. The squad’s fine, confident.

Everything is going smoothly now, but there have been times in the past when they haven’t, or the goals didn’t come...

Absolutely. That’s why psychological work is so important - to be able to know how to withstand the pressure. I used to blame myself, or tell myself: ‘Why haven’t you had chances? If you’re a striker...’ But after working on that pressure and the goals, I know that sooner or later, they will arrive.

You have made it to the national team and share a dressing room with other great forwards…

We give each other a lot of advice because in the end, we have a very specific role to play. It’s good because we get a lot of feedback from each other.

For example, with Esther [González], as the team’s out-and-out strikers, do you give each other advice?

Yes. And besides, I consider her as a friend. We were team mates at Levante. I have a very good understanding with her on the pitch, I can read her movements… We are team mates who are there to support each other and get the best out of each other. There is no conflict between. If she scores, great! I’m glad.

Now I’d like to ask you about Levante - you have just renewed your contract…

Levante is my home, it always will be because of what they have done for me. I left Albacete and they took me in, which allowed me to play in the Champions League - something I always dreamed of... They gave me the opportunity to improve as a person and also as a footballer.

Can we go further back, to when you started out in football. What was it like?

I started playing at school. It was the girl who played football with the boys. The girls were into other things. From there I joined a local, neighborhood club. And the following year I had the chance to join Albacete Balompié. I was until I was 21 years old when I signed for Levante. Since then, everything has taken off...

What was that Alba girl like? Was there someone in the family who passed on this love for soccer to you?

I don’t have many memories of how I first started kicking a ball. Simply, at home, both my father and my brother were football fans. My mother, a little less, but now she is the biggest fan out of all of us. I would say it was probably because of my brother. Going to see him play, picking up a ball in training, asking if it was okay to come on the pitch and join in while they warmed up...

So, dolls were out…

No, no dolls, all of the dolls that I was given as a child were passed to my mother, who has kept some of them, still intact, in their boxes, never opened.

A few days ago, you got the chance to meet Iniesta...

Yes, I was able to chat with him for a few minutes. It was all very natural, he gave me a lot of advice that I’m going to keep for myself. I will never be able to forget it.

Both of you have made history for Spain…

That makes me very proud to be honest because in the end, there is a lot of work behind it. And suffering for the family. For me, I am tremendously proud to represent my city, to represent my Community.

What is Alba like in private?

Quite shy. Very much a homebird, very close to my family, I smile a lot. I always like to be smiling.

As for smiling, which member of the squad makes this Spain side smile?

There are quite a few people here who are much funnier than me - Jenni, Esther, Rocío, Oihane, Claudia... there are quite a few. There is always a lot of jokes and laughing.

Do you have superstitions?

When I step out onto the pitch I try not to step on the lines, with my right boot always first. And if the ponytail isn’t right... that’s not good.

What’s Jorge Vilda like?

The coach has always shown confidence in me - apart from the things he’s said to me while we have been here, I have kept in touch with him throughout the season. He hasn’t told me directly, ‘I have confidence in you’ - it’s not like that. But I know he does. He has seen my evolution from the lower categories to the senior side. During that time, he has been giving me advice for everything that came later on.

Were you worried about getting injury just before a big tournament like this?

It’s inevitable that you’ll think about it, but you shouldn’t focus on those things. The more you think, the worse it is.

In your opinion, what is your best position on the pitch?

Playing out wide on the left is an option for me, but I’m a centre-forward. Either up-front or free to drift to the left is fine.