The past that unites Barça and Espanyol

BarcelonaThe rivalry between Barça and Espanyol is very present whenever the two clubs face each other. A few weeks ago it was experienced at the Camp Nou with the men's derby and at Johan Cruyff in the match between the reserve teams, and this Wednesday (7 p.m.) the excitement moves to the Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque with the duel that will pit the two women's teams against each other. A match that takes on special relevance because the blaugranes could certify the League title at the home of their eternal rival. Pere Romeu's team depends on itself and will be champions if they beat Espanyol. In the minds of all culers and pericos is what happened three years ago, in 2023, at the RCDE Stadium, when an invasion forced the cancellation of the blaugranes' celebration on the pitch. Fortunately, the blanc-i-blaves already have their survival assured and the tension will be less than what was experienced that day at the RCDE.

For seven years, Barça has dominated the scene in Catalonia, but it hasn't always been this way. During the first decade of this century, Catalan women's football found its main exponent in Espanyol. A benchmark team for which several players from the current blaugrana squad have played. The name par excellence is that of Alexia Putellas, who was part of the white-and-blue squad for five years before wearing the blaugrana jersey. “Everyone said she was very good, but we didn't expect her to end up being a Ballon d'Or winner. We also didn't expect this projection for women's football”, recalls Sandra Vilanova, who shared the locker room with Alexia in Espanyol's first team.

That 2010-11 season, despite having top-level players like Marta Torrejón, Silvia Meseguer, Vanesa Gimbert, Vero Boquete or Kenti Robles, in addition to the aforementioned Alexia Putellas, the white-and-blue team finished the season without lifting any titles. “We had a very strong team, but the coach [ Óscar Aja] was less strong”, assures Vilanova, who highlights Torrejón’s figure. “She has always been a spectacle. You don’t notice it, but she quietly does her job and does it very well. I like that she is still in the elite because a bit of our essence remains”.

But Alexia and Marta are not the only players in the current Barça squad with a past at Espanyol. Mapi León and Claudia Pina have also worn both jerseys, but the most recent case is that of Carla Julià. The Barcelonian —before playing for Damm and Badalona— trained in the white-and-blue youth system for seven years, but in the summer of 2022 Espanyol decided to let her go for “personal reasons”. She has now consolidated herself in the first team of the blaugrana and this Wednesday she could win her first League. “The key is investment. It’s very easy for if a good player emerges, Barça calls her and she goes there just with the conditions and the future she sees”, explains Vilanova. On the other hand, footballers like Ona Baradad, Cristina Baudet, Anna Torrodà or the goalkeeper Meritxell Muñoz have made the reverse journey, from the Johan Cruyff stadium to the Dani Jarque Sports City.

Now, all First Division teams must meet basic conditions with the players, but it hasn't always been like this. “When I played, we weren't professionals. It was said that we were, but we weren't. I didn't have an additional job, apart from football; because I can live with little, but I haven't paid contributions until I was 32 years old,” admits Vilanova. Fortunately, the years have passed and women's football has evolved. “When in 2022 I was an assistant coach with Sara Monforte at Villarreal, we did train every day and it was like a workday. When I was a footballer, I remember going to train for an hour and a half five or six times a week and that was it. They didn't control your food, you brought your own clothes, the trips were by bus… it was nothing like it,” compares Vilanova. 

Avoid the Barça party

The Catalan former player maintains a great friendship with Sara Monforte, the current Espanyol coach, who is not thinking about a possible celebration of the blaugrana league. “It’s not something that worries me. We have been safe for weeks and I am only thinking about my team. We are also playing for points”, says Monforte. Romeu, for her part, confirmed that they will not have any celebration if they win. "We are an elegant team. In case of victory, we will have a celebration worthy of the team we are, without wanting to hurt anyone". "If it happens, I hope it does", added Monforte. Another reunion that will take place at the Dani Jarque will be that of Salma Paralluelo and Sara Monforte. The Castellonense coach managed the Aragonese footballer at Vila-real.