The miracle of Salma Paralluelo, the athlete who plays football with "one leg longer than the other"
The player from Aragon combined both sports in her early career years, virtues she now seeks to exploit at the elite level.
BarcelonaThere are plays that can change your life. There are also moments when you have to make important decisions that shape your path. Salma Paralluelo (Zaragoza, 2003) had to choose between football and athletics when she was just 18. After three seasons combining both sports professionally at Villarreal, in the summer of 2022 she received a call from Barça. It was months after scoring a goal at the Johan Cruyff Stadium that earned her a Puskás Award nomination. An offer to play for one of the best teams in the world, but one that would require her to give up athletics. "I excelled at both sports," explains Diego Manero, the Villarreal physiotherapist who worked with her during her anterior cruciate ligament injury.
"We talked every day. She would ask me, 'What if I accept and then come back to athletics in four or five years?' I told her it was impossible. The reverse was still possible: do two Olympic cycles and then, at 24 or 25, try my luck in football. Athletics demands you be at 120%, while football is a world-class sport," recalls Félix Laguna, her track coach. He remembers those were days of great uncertainty until she decided to accept the contract with Barça. Before that decision, Salma had already gone through a difficult period following a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury. The Aragonese athlete was injured on April 17, 2021, in a match with Villarreal against Granada, at just seventeen years old. "It was a recovery process that we had to adapt to, since we also had to take into account that she did athletics. Mentally, she's a very strong person, with a clear goal, hardworking and disciplined," recalls José Luis Villarroya, the Villarreal rehabilitation specialist who worked with the footballer during her recovery.
A wasted talent
Salma Paralluelo's talent is undeniable. In football, the Aragonese player has twice reached the Ballon d'Or podium (2023 and 2024), and in athletics, she boasts an impressive record in the youth categories. "She hasn't done badly in football, but we don't know what would have happened in athletics. She was a natural talent, she didn't train at all, and she was winning against people who had been training for years," Laguna remarks. "Barça isn't aware of her talent. She's by far the fastest, most resilient, and highest jumper in the league, but they're not taking advantage of her strengths. It's like owning a Ferrari and only taking it for a spin on Saturday mornings," adds her former coach.
A problem related to the fast-paced nature of the football world. With a tight schedule of matches every three days, it's difficult to provide specific training for the more than twenty players on a team. However, an exception was made for Salma Paralluelo last season. The Aragonese footballer missed the first four months of the competition to carry out specific individual training. According to sources, it was the player herself who requested the break to fully recover. Salma had been playing with pain in her patellar tendon for some time, but she always wanted to play every game. This discomfort had already prevented her from performing at her best at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Given this situation and the large number of matches ahead, she decided to stop and undertake an individual "pre-season." "She has one leg longer than the other; it's like when you look at your fingers and compare your thumb to your little finger. One leg wasn't balanced with the other," say people who know the footballer.
Some discomfort arose at Barça due to the change in his daily routine. "At Villarreal, we divided his workload with athletics, which is less stressful for the patellar tendon. When he dedicates himself fully to football, an adaptation period is necessary. Furthermore, after a cruciate ligament injury, tendon problems can occur," explains Villarroya. "During his first few months here at Villarreal, no special plan was followed, beyond monitoring workload and fatigue. When he moved up to the First Division, training was regulated and both disciplines were combined. All of this was aimed at enabling him to perform at his best," adds Manero.
Where does their future lie?
This was last season. This year, the Aragonese footballer has also missed the first part of the season due to a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament in her left knee, which has kept her off the pitch for three months. Now recovered and feeling good, she needs to get back into form, although her return to the field was marked by a goal. Sources consulted by ARA assure that she is very comfortable in Barcelona, but are aware that her contract ends next June and she will have no shortage of offers.