Although not many know what her job is, Silvia Dorschnerova’s face becomes familiar every time the Spanish team plays a big tournament. Not in vain has she been his delegate for more than twenty years, always next to the coach on duty on the bench pointing out all the details. Now she is retiring, and the players have an extra reason to win the Eurocup, because part of her dedication would go to her. More than a mother, she is a guardian angel. With a German father and a Czech mother, Dorschnerova came to Spain at the age of 12. Despite coming from Monchengladbach, the land of Netzer or Heynckes, I had no idea about football. He lived his first game at the Calderón and since then he has belonged to Atleti. His relationship with the Federation began almost thirty years ago, at the 82 World Cup held in Spain. She is fluent in four languages (Spanish, English, French and German) and still defends herself in another two (Italian and Czech), and thanks to that she got a position as a translator. He accompanied the official delegations of the teams and solved their problems with unusual efficiency. A few years later he joined the RFEF permanently as an assistant to Julián del Amo, the then delegate. He was her teacher for fifteen years, and also the one who proposed Dorschnerova to succeed him. There was no doubt that he was the right person. «I sat on the bench for the first time in a match in Montjuic. It was February 13, 2002, Camacho was as coach and we tied with Portugal. I will never forget this date. I was very nervous, but everything went well, “Dorschnerova told ABC in 2006 in one of her rare interviews. His first big date was the World Cup in Korea and Japan, with Camacho on the bench. He has not missed one since then, so in his history he has accumulated five World Cups and as many European Cups. Their job goes far beyond writing minutes, announcing changes to the fourth official or welcoming substituted players in a loving way. It is also the Federation’s link with UEFA and FIFA and the one that conveys the needs of the national team. Negotiate how much the lawn is watered, where each team heats up, and even hydration breaks. But their main work occurs once the games are over. Dorschnerova takes great care of the rest of the expedition, not just the players. She is in charge of travel logistics, visas, collecting and delivering accreditations every time it is necessary so that no one loses them … “If it didn’t exist, it would have to be invented,” Fernando Hierro once said of her. If she is hardly known, it is because she is discreet to the extreme and flees from journalists. His most famous burden came after the World Cup final. He barely had time to put order before the visit of Queen Sofía, who found Puyol covered only with a towel. Iconic is also her photo with Casillas, caught in the air by the goalkeeper after winning Euro 2008. But the juiciest anecdotes are kept for her. That silence has always been one of his main values. And that is no longer going to change.
