WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023
Barcelona midfielder Patri Guijarro says “right now” she is not going to the World Cup with Spain
The MVP of the Women’s Champions League final spoke to Catalan radio where she revealed the lack an agreement regarding a return to the national side.
Monday 12 June is when Spain manager Jorge Vilda will give his official provisional squad list for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and it will also be the date in which the reported rapprochement between the players and manager/federation will be made clear.
Just days ago, AS revealed that there were indeed changes to the situation regarding the 15 players who had written an email to the Spanish football federation (RFEF), asking not be selected for an international call up, and that some of the players were now changing their minds. However, it is becoming clearer that some of the players, Mapi León being one of them, are not returning ahead of the showpiece event in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Right now, no, but it’s true that I have an emotional hangover, we’ve just won the Champions League, we’ll see”, said Barcelona midfielder Patri Guijarro, leaving a thread on which to pull, “[is there] a desire [to play at the World Cup]? I think any player wants to play with their national team. I don’t know what to tell you, not right now.”
Patri was an undroppable player in Vilda’s 4-3-3, where she was a leader in the middle of the pitch along with Alexia and Aitana. The three have formed the magic triangle for years now in Spain, and Patri was the star player of her 1998 generation, leading Vilda to call her up to the first team. He even took her to the last World Cup, despite just having returned from injury, but she was key for Spain and her position was never in question. At just 24-years-old she was already one of the captains.
In the day after the celebration following Barcelona’s dramatic UWCL final win over Wolfsburg, Patri was more optimistic when it came to talking about her contract renewal with the Catalan club, saying “I hope to renew my deal soon, when this season starts”, she said.
She also talked about her relationship with Alexia: “as well as being a great player, someone who feels football with a lot of passion, I think of her as a great friend, almost like an older sister. She has always helped me, ever since I arrived here”.
And so, it looks like Spain have one more key piece they cannot use in the puzzle.