In the semi-finals of the Women’s Champions League, Barcelona will face Chelsea on Saturday. In the second leg, the French giants PSG and Lyon measure each other.
In recent years, Barcelona has been considered the best team in women’s club football. In the last five years, it has reached the finals of the Champions League Four times and twice exited as winners.
The Catalan giants haven’t found any opposition on the pitches of their home country this season either: Barcelona has won 22 of the 23 matches they have played, and only once ended in a tie.
Many of the team’s players also represent Spain, which celebrated the World Cup gold last summer. Barcelona’s star player Fence Bonmati would have hoped that the effects of the world championship would be visible not only in the daily life of the national team but also in the country’s own league.
– I would like to say that everything has changed since the World Championship and that the World Championship gold gave us a lot of things. But I can’t even compare it to England and European Championship gold. Everything changed then, Bonmati leaked to the BBC.
– I think the world championship is a bigger thing than the European championship, but nothing has changed, especially not in our country’s main league. We have the same problems as before, and we have a lot of problems, Bonmati continued.
According to Bonmat, no changes are visible in the near future.
Spain celebrated the world championship amid the commotion. The problems started even before the games, when many of the star players refused to play the controversial game Jorge Vildan under. Former chairman at the medal ceremony Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed the star striker Jenni Hermosoa, who was first pressured to remain silent. Hermoso eventually filed a criminal complaint, and Rubiales backed down after criticism.
Vilda also left her position. The Spanish national team players went on strike in September and demanded changes to the union’s operating culture. The federation eventually agreed to the players’ demands and announced that it would make many athletic and structural changes.
However, according to Bonmat, the everyday life of female players playing in the Spanish league has not changed.
He gives praise to the English Super League, where some of the Spanish stars have moved in recent years.
– The series is very competitive and every year money is invested in order for the league to develop. It makes the series more attractive. The players want to join the league, because football is valued here.
Hayes is looking for a farewell win
On Saturday, Barcelona will face another giant in the semi-finals: Chelsea, the leader of the Superliga, is chasing by Emma Hayes the most prestigious of the trophies for the farewell season.
In the second semifinal pair, the French giants Lyon and PSG will meet.