The triple overcoming of the ex-Blaugrana Bruna Vilamala: "It's a dream I didn't have as a child"
The ex-Blaugrana is finalizing the recovery from his third cruciate ligament injury with the ambition of establishing himself in Mexican football
BarcelonaMore than 9,000 kilometers from Barcelona, Bruna Vilamala (Borgonyà, 2002) is looking to make a place for herself in one of Mexico's top teams, Club Amèrica. The Catalan forward was transferred last summer after a season on loan at English club Brighton. “It’s a project that attracts me because it reminds me a lot of Barça a few years ago. It’s beautiful when you start to grow, to win…, and here they are working very well. They bet on us a lot, they give us everything we need, and right now, I believe Amèrica is already the best team in Mexico,” explains Bruna after winning the treble (Clausura, Concacaf Champions Cup, and Mexican League Champions Cup) with the American squad.
The footballer's journey to establishing herself in the elite of professional football has not been at all easy. Trained at La Masia, where she entered at 11 years old, she debuted with the first blaugrana team in the 2019-20 season, when Barça had not yet won any Champions League and was just beginning to dominate in Spain. Injuries, however, have been the major drawback of a very promising career.
In 2018, she suffered the first of three cruciate ligament injuries. The second, in October 2021, significantly penalized her with Barça. “I was at my best. I was coming off a very good season and had played in all the preseason games. I believe that year I could have been a more important player than the previous season; gaining minutes and continuity… I feel like I barely had the chance to get back into rhythm,” she confesses. The third injury occurred last December, already in America. “I’m not yet 100% recovered, but I’m very happy with how everything is going. I’m working to return not as soon as possible, but as well as possible,” she points out.
In all these processes, the mental part plays a key role. “I have been working with a psychologist for a long time. I think it is very important to do so when you are injured, but also when you are not. Elite sport is an area that people do not know much about because there are very few privileged people who can enjoy it. The pressure there is and everything that comes with it is difficult to manage mentally and when you are with such a long injury there are many ups and downs. The mental part is what keeps you going to have the strength every day to train and improve,” she acknowledges.
“Leaving Barça did me good”
After 72 official matches with the blaugrana jersey and 26 goals, Bruna left in search of playing time. First on loan to Brighton –rival of Barça women in the Joan Gamper Trophy– and then transferred to Club América. “Barça is a club I will carry in my heart for my whole life, I have been there for ten years, but I think it has also been good for me to leave because I am having different experiences and new cultures that are making me grow a lot as a person and as a player”.
Family is what she misses the most, but the Catalan player is fully aware that these are sacrifices that must be made. “I know I am in a privileged environment and living doing what I love most. It's a dream I didn't have as a child because this opportunity didn't even exist,” she recalls. “When I arrived in Mexico, Sandra Paños [who this summer moved from América to San Diego Wave] helped me a lot to integrate. It's a big change and the biggest fear I had was being so far from my family. Now, I've made many friends within the team and I have my core group,” she adds.
The presentation of the new women's Barça
Pere Romeu's team will present themselves to the fans this Friday in the Joan Gamper Trophy. It will be at the Johan Cruyff stadium at 8 p.m. against Brighton. "The Barça squad has changed a lot, but it remains the best team in the world until someone says otherwise on the field. Knowing Pere and some teammates who are still there, I know the ambition they have and the desire to win that exists. They will aim for all titles," assures Bruna, who will follow the match from Mexico and cheer on the blaugrana team. "Brighton is coming off a great season. They reached the FA Cup final at Wembley. It could be a good match for the fans to go and see".
Regarding her future, the forward from Osona first wants to focus on fully recovering from the injury, but she is very happy in America. “Football has taught me to never say never because you don't know where life or football will take you. I am not closed off to anything,” she concludes.