At just 22 years old, Salma Paralluelo is already one of the most remarkable athletes in women’s football. Here are five things you should know about Barcelona’s lightning-fast winger.
1) She Was a Competitive Sprinter Before Choosing Football
From the age of seven, Salma Paralluelo competed in athletics and football.
She once won the Spanish indoor championships in the women’s 400m and was part of a relay team that won the 4x400m national title.
In 2019, she became the second-youngest athlete to compete in the European Athletics Indoor Championships and won two gold medals at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival that same year.
2) She’s the Only Player in History to Win Three Different World Cups
Salma Paralluelo is the first ever player to have won all three World Cups, having won the 2023 FIFA World Cup, the 2022 FIFA U20 World Cup, and the 2018 FIFA U17 World Cup. That record stands regardless of gender – no other footballer has achieved it.
3) Salma Paralluelo Scored the Goal to Send Spain into their First World Cup Semi-Final
During the World Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands on 11 August 2023, she scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory, helping Spain qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in history.
4) She’s a serial trophy winner
Paralluelo has won 18 titles, including the Women’s Champions League, Liga F, and Copa de la Reina with Barcelona, as well as the Women’s World Cup and UEFA Women’s Nations League with Spain.
5) Alexia Putellas is her hero
It was the lure of Camp Nou and the prospect of playing alongside her hero Alexia Putellas that sealed her fate within football, leading her to leave athletics behind. The two now regularly line up together for one of the most dominant club sides in women’s football.
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