Jordan worth the sacrifice for Spain's Rodriguez - FIFA U-17 WOMEN'S WORLD CUP
 |
| FIFA.com |
Imagine a teenage summer holiday without ice cream during which you don't go out with your friends too much and make sure you look after yourself. Sound tough? "People may think that it's a sacrifice, but it's not for us," said Lucia Rodriguez. "Playing at a World Cup makes up for absolutely everything." So much so, she even gives up eating one of her favourite meals for a while: Spanish broken eggs with ham. "It's what I always want whenever I get home from a training camp," she said, laughing.
Rodriguez does it all for the sake of that magic word her family and friends have heard repeatedly over the last few months, ever since Spain qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2016 back in May: "How often do I say 'Jordan' each day? At least two or three times. It was crazy over the holidays. In the end all I wanted was for them to be over and to play at the World Cup."
She will arrive at the tournament following years of training and matches, having made the decision to play football at the age of six. "I used to swim but I didn't like it at all," Rodriguez said. "I'd always liked playing football with my friends and it got to the point where I said to my dad: 'I know how to swim. Take me to play football.' Thankfully, he and the rest of my family have always supported me in this." While swimming may have lost a potential star, football has gained a swift, talented defender with the makings of a leader.
"You can do it, skipper!" cry her team-mates before the start of her interview with FIFA.com. Yet Rodriguez, one of three captains in the side, needs no cheering on. The 16-year-old answers questions as if she has been doing it her whole life. Perhaps that is due to her being one of the team's veterans. "That sounds a bit strange, being called a 'veteran', but I have been in the U-17s for two years," she said. Indeed, Rodriguez is one of eight players in the squad who featured in both the 2015 European Championship, which Spain won, and the 2016 edition where they lost the final to Germany on penalties.
"We need to say to ourselves: 'Yes, we're favourites and we're going to show why that is.'"
Lucia Rodriguez
That disappointment affected the team deeply but they did not let their heads hang for long. In fact, a speech from Rodriguez played a major role in that recovery. She is unafraid to speak up when the situation requires it and is renowned for giving talks. "It's better when they're off the cuff because if I plan them then I forget what I want to say and it turns out even worse," she said, laughing.
Seeing her team-mates in tears in the changing room at the Bate-Borisov Arena, the words flowed with ease. "It's at bad times like that when you see if we're a real team," she said. "The other two captains, Noelia [Ramos], Laia [Ailexandri] and I, realised that we needed to calm everyone down. We lost a final but we still came away with something wonderful and we had to move on to reach Jordan in good shape." Judging by her beaming smile, it appears she has already got over the setback.
Furthermore, Spain arrive in Jordan as one of the title favourites given their European pedigree and having finished as runners-up at the last U-17 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica in 2014. "I'm sure beating us would be a bonus for the other teams but that's just something we have to get used to and use as a motivation," Rodriguez said. "We need to say to ourselves: 'Yes, we're favourites and we're going to show why that is.' And play even better."
How does she imagine her first World Cup will be? "I prefer not to go with a preconceived idea, but it's going to be amazing," she said, her face lighting up. "I've spoken with girls who were in Costa Rica and they told me it was the best experience they've ever had in football. They said it's hard to explain but that I should make the most of it and enjoy every minute I'm there."
Rodriguez and Co are more than willing to follow that advice, and are just as keen to return home with the trophy. "We need to keep calm and not get ahead of ourselves," she said. "First of all we need to get beyond the group stage, which won't be easy, and then we'll see who we're up against. Saying 'we're going there to win it' sounds like a lot, but at the end of the day I am going to the World Cup to win it. I wouldn't go if not."
And if she does manage to get her hands on the prize, those holidays of 'sacrifice' will have been well worth it.