The forward of Real Madrid Alba Redondo is clear that being called up by the Spanish national team «is always special» and «really cool» and that’s why she comes «with the best possible smile and ready to help»; while, personally, she doesn’t hide the importance of the mental factor because «no one prepares you for unexpected situations.»
«Being here is always special. It is true that I am getting fewer minutes this year because we have great players in the team, but I have been valued for bringing certain characteristics that I can contribute to these types of games and I am here to help, always, of course,» emphasized Alba Redondo in an interview with Europa Press during the national team concentration at the Ciudad del Fútbol in Las Rozas (Madrid).
The player from Albacete has gone from being undisputed at Levante UD to not being as much at Real Madrid, something similar to what can happen at the World Cup champion. «This is managed consciously and rationally that each game requires certain players and that we are not all the same,» she said.
The goal scorer does not hide that, «maybe,» in her last year at Levante, the team had «a much smaller squad» than the current Real Madrid one, where there are «many more players.» «I have had to assume a different role that I have accepted well and that makes me have a clear mind,» she concluded.
However, she arrived at the ‘Roja’ concentration after scoring a crucial goal to give three points to her team. «For a forward, scoring goals is important and that goal gives you an extra boost to come in a different way, but I come the same as always, with the ability to contribute my bit,» she pointed out, about a goal of «a lot of heart» to beat Levante Badalona in the 94th minute (3-2).
«I always come here with the best possible smile, ready to work, to know what I come for, with the role I come for, and to help my teammates as they help me. In the end, what we have to do here is the same as we do at the club. You come and put on another jersey, but you come to show yourself as you are and define the values we transmit, it’s really cool,» she celebrates about her presence in the national team, highlighting that in attack they have «different players who can play in various positions.» «We will adapt to what Montse (Tomé) wants at that moment, the versatility of the players also makes the team better,» she clarified.
At 28 years old and in an optimal moment in sports and personal life, she admits that «you never really mature.» «A series of experiences that you live throughout your life make you gain experience little by little and you mature on your own, but you never really mature because no one prepares you for unexpected situations. Thanks to the psychologist, I became more aware of my habits, my actions, of everything that impacted my life and today I am more rational than five years ago, for example,» confessed Redondo.
«THIS TEAM IS CHARACTERIZED BY BEING AMBITIOUS AND WITH CHARACTER»
The year 2025 presents many objectives for the Real Madrid player, including the Eurocup in Switzerland this summer, but she prefers to «take it day by day, step by step and things in their own time.» «Right now we have a FIFA window with the Nations League and these types of games also help us get to know each other as a team and prepare for that Eurocup, but everything else day by day and we’ll see how things go,» she emphasized.
For the player from Albacete, this competition motivates them because it is «another title» they can win and because facing «the best teams» also makes them «a better team.» «We have to defend the title and we are a great team and we want to be a champion team again, so we have to give our best,» she recalled.
«All teams prepare to compete against you in the games and to beat you, and each one looks for their edge to beat Spain because beating the world champion is winning. We will defend the title in the best possible way, always showing our strengths and whatever comes in this series of games we will use to strengthen and learn, but obviously we want to win them,» added the Real Madrid player, a starter in the thrilling victory last Friday against Belgium.
The forward is not afraid that the rivals will figure them out because the world champion has «great players» who are capable of bringing different types of play to the team, although something remains unchanged. «This team is characterized by being ambitious, with character, moving forward, pressing, and above all, scoring goals,» she emphasized.
The next step is this Wednesday in a high-level match against England, the current European champion, in a re-edition of the final of the last World Cup and in a luxury setting like Wembley, which promises a great turnout. «I have played in many stadiums with a lot of people, and that is also an important factor for the players, but the focus should be on the field,» she stated.
«At an extramotivational level, having a stadium filled with women’s football is impressive and that says a lot about what we have been doing for a long time. Having Wembley filled, a legendary stadium, gives me goosebumps, I can’t wait for the moment to see it with my own eyes,» warned the international player.
«THERE WAS A TIME WHEN IT SEEMED LIKE THE WORLD CUP HAD BEEN FORGOTTEN»
Alba Redondo was part of the team that was crowned historic world champion in 2023, a success that made them known «more in terms of media impact» and that there are «boys and girls» who want to be like them, «and not just like the boys.» «We have taken steps, but there are still many more to be taken because there was a time when it seemed like we hadn’t won anything or that it had been forgotten. What we have done has had a great impact on Spanish women’s football and our work is recognized. We are moving forward and without pause,» affirmed the player from La Mancha.
Redondo knows that this first major title «was a matter of time before it arrived.» «And it keeps coming because we have the current Ballon d’Or and the Golden Girl,» she detailed in relation to Aitana Bonmatí and Vicky López. «We are champions in youth categories, we come from finishing fourth in the Olympics, champions of the Nations. It seems easy, but it’s not, we have to value all this too,» demanded the forward, who is clear that the fact that Vicky López is already a regular in the ‘Roja’ at 18 years old shows that «work is being done very well in youth categories.» «The Spanish base will make a lot of noise,» she pointed out.
Alba Redondo was also at the historic Olympic Games in Paris, where she was one of the reserves, although she felt «like one more.» «It could have been anyone, but I was lucky to be there and to experience that. In addition, I trained like one more, supported them like one more, and if anything happened, we were there to help. I lived it well, inside the dressing room and on the field as one more as well,» she considered.
Finally, the Real Madrid player acknowledges that she has not been very attentive to the trial of Luis Rubiales for his kiss to Jenni Hermoso after the World Cup final. «To tell you the truth, I don’t have social media and I don’t watch TV either. I was focused on my day-to-day life at Real Madrid. This matter is already in the National Court and I focused on my day-to-day life, on being a better athlete, and here, today, I am still thinking about how to improve and how to help my team and my club when I return,» she concluded.
FUENTE
