The incombustible Irene Paredes

There is one member of Jorge Vilda’s Spain squad who is untouchable, incombustible. The only Spanish international that has played all 570 minutes - every single minute that the team has spent on the pitch during the tournament - Irene Paredes. In playing time, she is closely followed by two other players who have been key in helping La Roja reach the final: Jenni Hermoso (557 minutes) and Tere Abelleira (513 minutes). Vilda has rotated his squad and rested players since the group stage but these three are the ones who have racked up the most minutes out on the field of play.

There is no player more serious or consistent than the Basque defender. She is the only one who has constantly been a first-choice. Her return to the national team back in April felt like La Roja had won the Christmas lottery. On 3 April, she once again walked through the gates at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas with a single objective: to score and make history with this team.

It was almost as if she had never been away. She regained her place in the two friendlies held in Ibiza against Norway and China. Her place in the side was never in question. But she also had the task of finding a midfield partner to play just ahead of her. And there was no time to waste. That role was assumed by Ivana Andrés. They both started working, and clicked.

Difficult comeback

However, the preparation for the World Cup was twice as hard for Irene. She joined the group a few days late following the death of her father. The timing could not have been much worse. But with typical strength of character, she took it all in her stride. Vilda had the veteran centre-back available for the pre-tournament friendly against Panama in Asturias but instead, gave her time to acclimatize. She didn’t play at all in the warm-up matches. But the important thing was that she was back in the squad and making the trip.

Everyone knows Irene. Rivals are full of praise for her - and not without good reason, since she is regarded as one of the best central defenders in the world. And surely the best at this World Cup. The numbers say it all: 76% of passes completed. She was among the top-rated players in the semi-final against Sweden in which she managed 50 passes, won two aerial duels and recovered possession four times.

On top of all that, she is one of those who will always stand up and be counted - in the good times as well as the bad. She was the first to come out to deal with the media after the 0-4 mauling to Japan. Her words were crystal clear. “They caught us out on the break and defended high. None of us played well and we were punished for it. Japan exposed us as a team”. That’s Irene for you.

All she lacks to make her World Cup complete is a goal with one of her trademark headers - or better still, lifting the trophy to make an absent father proud. You deserve it, Irene.