Who is Montse Tomé, the head coach of Spain’s women’s national team?
Tomé became the first woman to take the Spain job following the sacking of Jorge Vilda, who won the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
Monste Tomé, the head coach of Spain’s women’s national team, has continued where predecessor Jorge Vilda left off in her two years in the job, leading La Roja to the final of Euro 2025 less than two years after their 2023 FIFA World Cup victory.
Tomé becomes Spain coach after controversy
Tomé, formerly the team’s assistant coach, took over from Vilda in unusual circumstances in September 2023, just after La Roja had won the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the very first time.
Vilda was relieved of his duties amid an unsavory episode involving former Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, who kissed striker Jenni Hermoso on the lips following Spain’s World Cup final victory over England.
Rubiales was applauded by Vilda after initially refusing to resign from his post, with the connection between the two ultimately costing the World Cup-winning coach his job.
Tomé the overwhelming candidate for Spain job
Tomé, who had been Vilda’s assistant coach since earning her UEFA Pro licence in 2018, had been the clear candidate to take the reins.
A former player with Oviedo Moderno, Barcelona and Levante, she was a Spanish league champion on two occasions and was capped four times by Spain.
After hanging up her boots in 2013, Tomé initially carved out a career as a primary-school PE teacher. However, she could not resist the lure of her lifelong passion and, after securing her coaching badges, she returned to soccer as Vilda’s Spain assistant.
In January 2020, in the wake of Toña Is’ departure as head coach of Spain’s Under-17s, Tomé took charge of the team in combination with her duties with the senior side. The demands of job sharing proved too great, though, and she later made way for Kenio Gonzalo as Under-17s boss, allowing her to focus on the top team.
Good rapport with Spain’s players
As Vilda’s chief assistant, Tomé’s analytical abilities made her a key part of his coaching staff.
What’s more, despite her connection to the highly unpopular former head coach, she has an excellent relationship with the players. Indeed, she was among the Spain assistants who had the closest and best rapport with the squad.
The choice of Tomé as Vilda’s successor persuaded several Spain players to return to the international fold. After the World Cup victory, a number of Spanish players said in a joint statement that they would no longer play for La Roja unless structural changes were made.
Tomé continues Spain’s success
Tomé took charge of the Spanish women’s national team for the first time in September 2023 and has managed 36 games, winning on 28 occasions.
Although Spain finished fourth in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, they won their first UEFA Nations League in 2023-24 and could add a maiden European Championship to their trophy haul at Euro 2025.
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