Sonia Bermúdez: Feminine Football & Real Evolution

What Sonia bermúdez (Madrid,1984) did was arrive and kiss the saint. In just four games as a coach, she won a title, a Nations League that she claims: “We have to value it because we have won two in a row and it is not easy at all.” His thing with football comes from afar. She started playing at a very young age, probably due to the influence of her mother, who became an international for Spain before retiring early. After a career full of success, he hung up his boots to dedicate himself to training with a non-negotiable philosophy that involves having the ball without that being at odds with defending well and counterpunching. And Spain celebrates it to close the year at the top of world football.

-Spain ends 2025 with a Nations League, a runner-up in the Euro Cup and the lead in the FIFA ranking.

-A fantastic year, very positive. We must value that silver medal that was achieved in the Eurocup because it is something very, very difficult to achieve. Moreover, we have been able to finish the year with the second Nations League and, above all, being number one in the FIFA ranking along with the men’s team. It’s something historic.

-on a personal level, four games, three wins, a draw and a title. The bar has been set very high.

-Yes, yes (laughs). I am very happy, because the work of the entire team has been very good. We certainly know that we have players who demand the most from themselves and who always want to give their best. It has been a very tough Nations League,with great rivals,two very competitive teams and very difficult to beat in the ‘final four’. Everything went smoothly and we managed to win that second Nations to close the year in the best way.

-What meaning does this title have in the process you lead as a coach?

-we all always like to win and this team is eager to continue doing so.We have a mix of veterans and young people who still have that hunger to want to be better, to push themselves every day, to take care of those small details to grow every day. Beyond the titles, there is a generation ahead to be able to make a great team and continue growing to, hopefully, be able to continue being number one.

-What learning did the Nations League leave for the big events to come?

-Winning the Nations League is difficult, eh…You have to overcome a group stage and everything you play with the national team is very complex because any rival makes things very difficult for you. It is a title that everyone wants and it is very valuable to achieve two in a row. Now what lies ahead of us is that qualification for the World Cup, in which we also want to finish first.

-He has opted for a clear coexistence between veteran and young footballers. What balance do you look for in the locker room?

-We focus a lot on the performance of the soccer players, on the monitoring we do to see their performance in the clubs.You have to pay attention to those small details as the difference is minimal to be able to come to the national team.There is a spectacular team in which everyone wants to join and continue improving, regardless of each person’s age.

-What role have the most experienced footballers played in the moments of pressure this year?

-Very important. They are figures who have experienced many moments,many finals,great tournaments and they help the young girls a lot. They see were they have to go, what the path to follow is and how they have to take care of themselves on a daily basis to be able to grow and be able to achieve everything they have achieved. It also helps the staff a lot, especially with that internal demand that they have to continue improving.

-Young women have emerged with force in 2025. What excites you most about this new generation?

-That will be seen. Each person’s path is very individual,they have to give up many things in order to become the best in the world and they have examples at their side. We have good generations,but everything costs. You have to take care of the small details, which are the most important. It is true that very powerful and very strong generations are coming, but I think that this little point is going to be basic to be able to continue having this level.

-Is it more difficult to manage young talent or maintain the competitive level of veterans?

-neither of the two. The truth is that when they come to the national team we are delighted because they come with a great desire to compete, to learn, to improve, to continue winning and to give their best. Coexistence is very healthy, it is very fluid and then the demand is maximum. We certainly know we are number one and we want to remain that way.

-Aitana’s injury was one of the most delicate moments of the year. How did the coaching staff and the group manage it?

-it was a hard moment and low spirits because of how and when it occurred, because she is a very important player, but the team responded well. I hope he recovers as soon as possible.

-Beyond sports,what impact did his absence have on the team’s leadership?

-We are a team in which all the footballers who come,and even many who do not come,are prepared for any type of situation and to enter the eleven at any time. That’s the good thing about this team, that anyone who comes is prepared to give one hundred percent and it was seen in the Nations League. We are creating a team very prepared to face any situation.

Faithful to an identity

-the feeling from the outside is that Spain has taken a step forward in identity and competitive maturity. Is it also noticeable inside?

-We are a very compact team. They really want to continue improving, to continue learning, to continue helping both the older and the younger ones. They make a very good tandem and what we want is to get the most out of them as possible.

-You can say that it is a big little family.

-Yeah.Coexistence is good and the group is fundamental for us. It is a team that is very united in wanting to achieve its objectives.

-what game traits do you consider indispensable in this team?

-We are faithful to an identity. To have the ball, to want to take care of it, to want to play well and all without being at odds with moving, with defending well. I believe that we have to master all these registers and that is what we want to transmit.

-Women’s football continues to grow in visibility and demand. Where are you at in 2025?

-I would call it football. Using the word feminine is something that does not make us evolve and if we were all able to call it football, I think we would improve in this aspect. What we needed was to be able to have those resources that the Federation does allow us to have, for the player to feel like a 100% soccer player here, that she only has to dedicate herself to thinking about soccer and I think that makes the performance better and better.