Who is Jenni Hermoso?

Everything you need to know about Spain women’s national football team player, Jenni Hermoso.

If you are not a regular follower of the Spain women’s national team, you might have only just heard about Jenni Hermoso through the aftermath of the inappropriate actions of Luis Rubiales, President of the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation).

Jenni Hermoso, for those who are not aware of her achievements, has arguably done more for the women’s national team than any other person. She is the all-time leading goalscorer, notching her 51st goal for Spain during the World Cup 2023, in which she helped her team to win.

Jenni Hermoso the trailblazer for Spain

Hermoso has been a trailblazer for not only Spanish football but also across the globe. With stints at Tyreso, PSG and now Pachuca in the Mexican league, Hermoso has helped to raise the profile of the women’s game. Perhaps the most impressive detail is that she has won the Pichichi trophy a record five times. She narrowly finished second to Alexia Putellas in Ballon d’Or voting in 2021, having scored an astonishing 51 goals in the calendar year.

Hermoso currently holds the record of being Barcelona’s all-time goalscorer, having an impressive return of 77 goals in 90 appearances during her first spell at the Catalan giants, before an even more prolific return of 70 goals in 68 games. Her total of 147 goals for Barcelona cements her as a Barcelona legend, although she left the club without any great celebration of her success there.

Hermoso helps Spain to win the World Cup 2023

Jenni Hermoso has played an integral part in the development of the Spain national team, helping them to qualify for their first World Cup in 2015 and also scoring 3 goals in their 2019 World Cup.

Having missed the Euro 2023 finals through injury, Hermoso set her sights on playing in the WWC 2023. However, this dream was thrown into doubt when the now famous email from 15 players started the motion for the demand of improved conditions for the Spain women’s national team. 15 players agreed to stand against the RFEF until better conditions were provided. The row rumbled on during the preparations for the World Cup.

Players such as Bonmati, Putellas, Paredes, Hermoso and Caldentey came back into the squad, while other players including Mapi, Patri and Pina stood by their values.

Rubiales displays unacceptable behaviour

Now, following the unconsensual kiss, the crotch-grabbing antics and the alleged made up statement from Jenni Hermoso, the rest of the world has seen a glimpse of the problem at the RFEF. A room made up of mostly males, clapped Luis Rubiales as he defiantly shouted that he would not resign over false feminism.

Spain coach Jorge Vilda was one of the clapping parties, although he was now pulled a full 180, condemning the behaviour, likely in the hope that he will not get taken down with his ally.

The news of the incident has hit headlines all over the world, with support for Jenni Hermoso not only from footballers around the world but also actors, politicians and influencers. There is a huge acknowledgement that this incident is typical of a societal issue and people are fed up of the patriarchy overpowering women’s rights and opinions.

As Spain men’s national team legend Andres Iniesta has pointed out, there is great sadness that the feat of winning the World Cup has been tarnished by the actions of Rubiales. We now wait to find out the next instalment in this drama, with the entire coaching staff (except Jorge Vilda) stepping down in support of Hermoso.