Salma Paralluelo of Spain may not have scored a goal during her team’s 1-0 win over England in the 2023 World Cup final, but her presence was unmistakable. She was always in the mix, attacking the Lionesses on offense, causing trouble on the defensive side of the ball. Her goals as a super sub in the quarterfinals and semis helped pave Spain’s road to its first World Cup title: Paralluelo was named best young player at the World Cup and announced herself as a future icon of the women’s game. What’s frightening for the rest of the world: Paralluelo was a young track star who, up until about a year ago, didn’t focus full time on soccer. Now all-in on the beautiful game, she scored a hat trick in her senior national team debut against Argentina in November 2022, and became the first soccer player ever to hold concurrent world titles at the under-17, under-20, and senior levels. Remember Paralluelo’s name. You’re likely to hear it for decades.
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