Jenni Hermoso

Atlético Madrid (2004–2010)

After developing with the youth teams of Atlético Madrid, Hermoso made her senior team debut in the Segunda División on 5 December 2004, at age 14. In her first match, she scored a goal in a 6–0 victory over Vicálvaro. During the 2005–06 season, she played 16 games and scored 12 goals, including a goal against UE L'Estartit that secured Atlético's promotion to the Superliga. After eight years of playing with the club, Hermoso left in 2010.

Rayo Vallecano (2010–2013)

Hermoso's signing to Rayo Vallecano was announced on 5 July 2010, alongside 7 other new signings. Rayo, which won the 2009–10 Superliga, were automatically qualified to the 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League Round of 32. Hermoso scored her first Champions League goals against Icelandic club Valur. Rayo reached the knockout stages, where they were eliminated by Arsenal. In the final of the 2010–11 Superliga, Rayo Vallecano played RCD Espanyol in a two-legged tie. In the first leg, Hermoso scored a penalty kick which gave Rayo the lead before Espanyol equalised the score. Hermoso went on to score the tie-winning goal in the return leg, winning her first ever league title and Rayo's third. In qualification for the 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League, Hermoso scored two goals against Estonian club Pärnu. In the final match of qualifying, Hermoso scored her first Champions League hat-trick against Slovenian team ŽNK Krka. Rayo finished the qualification round with 3…

Youth national teams

Hermoso made her debut with Spain's U-19 national team on 12 April 2007 against Serbia in the second qualifying round of the 2007 U-19 European Championship, where she scored two goals. She played a total of four official matches with Spanish U-19 teams.

2011–2013: Debut and Euro 2013

In September 2011, Hermoso earned her first official call-up for the Spanish national team. She made her debut on 21 June 2012 against Turkey in a 4–0 victory that allowed Spain to play in the playoffs of the UEFA Women's Euro 2013. She scored her first national team goal in a friendly against Russia in January 2013. In June 2013, national team coach Ignacio Quereda confirmed Hermoso as a member of his 23-player squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2013 finals in Sweden. Hermoso scored her first competitive goal with Spain in their first match of the tournament, a 3–2 win over England. Hermoso was named Player of the Match. In the quarter-finals, she scored Spain's only goal in a 3–1 loss to Norway.

2014–2015: Spain's first Women's World Cup

Hermoso played in all 10 qualifying matches for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, scoring 7 goals while switching between center and attacking midfielder. Spain finished the qualifying phase with 9 wins and a draw, securing a spot in the Women's World Cup for the first time. Hermoso played in Spain's debut World Cup match, a 1–1 draw against Costa Rica. She did not play in the other two matches of the group stage,…

At the start of Hermoso's career, she was positioned as either a center midfielder or attacking midfielder. In 2015, under the instruction of Xavi Llorens and Jorge Vilda, Hermoso played a more offensive role as a center-forward or false 9. This change allowed her to shift from giving assists and creating chances to becoming a prolific goalscorer. As a false 9 with Barcelona, Hermoso was at her most productive when she could play deeper and roam freely between opposing lines. She would regularly switch between her position in the center and either wing, both creating and finding space. Hermoso's free-roaming positional play was key to Barcelona's tactical setup, for it allowed her space to receive the ball and create chances. Aside from being Barcelona's top goalscorer, she was one of the biggest contributors to the team's attack during her two separate stints at the club. On the Spanish national team, she has played a slightly different tactical role that requires a more intense press and more positional discipline. Starting in 2022, she was pulled back from her position as the center-forward, moving to left or right midfield as needed. Hermoso is known for her comparatively tall stature of 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in), which helps her score with headers. She excels when given the opportunity to play slower, possession-based football. She is left footed, but is capable of scoring with either foot, and is often keen on scoring goals from outside the box. Patrice Lair, the former…

Jennifer Hermoso Fuentes was born on 9 May 1990, in Carabanchel, a working-class neighbourhood in southern Madrid. She is the granddaughter of Antonio Hernández, a former goalkeeper for Atlético Madrid. As a child, he would take her to watch Atlético's matches at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. Hermoso grew up playing futsal and seven-a-side football, often with boys. Her football idols were Ana Belen Fernandez, Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane. She began playing for Atlético Madrid at age twelve with encouragement from her father and grandfather. Hermoso has a younger sister named Sofia.