FootyChatter.com

Lamine Yamal may be is the name on everyone's lips in Spain right now, but Salma Paralluelo could soon change this. After bursting onto the scene during La Roja's Euro 2024 triumph, Yamal has continued to star at club level for Barcelona and is being tipped as a possible Ballon d'Or winner this year. However, there is an incredibly similar storyline unfolding in the women's game. A year before 17-year-old wonderkid Lamal announced himself in the men's side of the sport, 21-year-old Paralluelo enjoyed her own summer as a teenage sensation thanks to her national team exploits. The Barca forward played a key role as Spain lifted the 2023 Women's World Cup, scoring two goals in their victorious campaign. Then aged just 19, she helped her country to beat England by one goal in the final, just as their male counterparts went on to in 2024. Like Yamal at Euro 2024, Paralluelo was crowned the tournament's best young player, having lit up the competition with her blistering pace and technical ability from the left wing. And with this year's Women's European Championship kicking off in July, she will now be looking to take centre stage again in a star-studded side tipped for more international glory. She certainly appears primed for another big summer, having established herself as one of the biggest talents in the women's game in recent years. Paralluelo first made a name for herself with Villareal in Spain's second and third tiers, during which time she also took part in elite level athletics, representing Spain in the 400 metres at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championship. After scoring 23 goals in 38 total appearances, she was snapped up by Barcelona in July 2022, prompting her to retire from sprinting. But before getting started in Catalonia, the Zaragoza-born star had international duty to attend to, helping Spain to glory in the under-20 Women's World Cup, scoring twice in the final against Japan. At just 18, this was her second global triumph, having also won the under-17 edition in 2018. With her 2023 triumph in the senior competition completing the set, Paralluelo is the first woman to win the FIFA World Cup at all three age levels. And her first season in Catalonia saw her achieve yet more silverware, as she handled the step up to the Spanish top-flight with ease. In the 2022/23 season, the wide player netted 15 goals in 30 games in all competitions, as Barca won both the league and Women's Champions League. Her stunning campaign earned her a first senior Spain call-up in November 2022, marking her maiden start against Argentina with a hat-trick in a 7-0 win three months later. This was just a taste of what was to come in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where Paralluelo scored in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals en route to world glory. And the Spaniard was recognised for her remarkable year with a nomination for the 2023 women's Ballon d'Or. While she ultimately finished third in the rankings of football's best individual players, with club and international teammate Aitana Bonmati claiming top prize, this did not halt Paralluelo's progress. She followed up a stunning year with an even more impressive second campaign at Barca. Paralluelo notched 34 goals in 36 games in all competitions last term as she helped her club side to an incredible treble, as the Spanish side defended their league and European titles, as well as winning the Copa de la Reina. Her 2023/24 season saw her once again rank third in the 2024 Ballon d'Or, behind Barcelona colleague Caroline Graham Hansen in second, and Bonmati, who claimed back-to-back individual crowns. And Paralluelo has certainly earned the respect of her hugely successful teammate, with Bonmati heaping praise on her. The world's top-ranked women's player said of her: “She’s a unique player, she’s a different kind of player that brings us things we haven’t got and we must cherish her. "She also has a lot of room to improve and obviously she knows it. I always tell her to try to play and shoot with the right foot as well. ” With Spain's opening Euro 2025 clash with Portugal just two months away, Paralluelo's fine form this season will leave her fancying her chances of yet more glory. After missing the opening few months of the season with physical struggle, Paralluelo has more than made up for this since then. She has scored 13 times in 26 games in all competitions this term, including the final goal in Barca's 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final second leg. With her side topping Spain's Liga F table too, Paralluelo will be hoping to clinch yet more silverware for club and country over the coming months. talk SPORT has extensive radio coverage of Women's Euro 2025 with live commentary of every England and Wales game in Switzerland. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited

Registered in England No. 2806093. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF

talk SPORT is a registered trade mark of Wireless Group Media (GB) Limited.

This service is provided on talk SPORT Limited's Terms of Use in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy.