"I was the last to find out that he was leaving Barça"

BarcelonaWeeks after reaching the pinnacle with Barça in Eindhoven, Nuria Rábano (Ames, Galicia, 1999) experienced the bitterest side of football: the Barcelona club informed him that they didn't need her services after just one season. "They had their plans, and in the end, I was the last to find out. It's painful when they tell you. Finding a team was complicated because some rosters were already finalized," the player explained to ARA, adding that she had another year on her contract when it was unilaterally terminated. But it was a blow that she has managed to overcome over time. "At first, I struggled to accept that I had to leave because it wasn't my intention, and I was forced to, but then I felt very comfortable at Wolfsburg, and that has helped me grow and become the person I am today."

A year at Barça in which, yes, she was able to win a Champions League title and play at the Camp Nou. "Despite not getting much playing time, I'd choose the Eindhoven final because I had the chance to share it with my family and friends. These are moments you have to enjoy because football takes you down other paths, and you never know which one will be your last." A season in which she played 24 matches (16 as a starter) with four assists, and in which Jonatan Giráldez's team won everything except the Copa del Rey, in which they were eliminated for fielding an ineligible player. "At that moment, we all felt that sadness in our hearts, but later you see it more as an anecdote. These things can happen, but hopefully it won't happen again because Barça is usually a potential winner of all these competitions."

The Galician footballer celebrated the first edition of her Campus pola igualdade (Campus for Equality) this Christmas. It was a resounding success that she hopes to repeat soon. "The children were very enthusiastic, I also participated in the training sessions, and we had several surprises. The idea is that everyone who attended this year will want to be in the next edition, and that more companies, collaborators, and children will join us." The camp takes place in Ames, her hometown, a place she holds dear, as it was in Galicia that she achieved promotion to the Liga F with Deportivo de A Coruña. "I was going through a difficult time personally, and this brought me back to reality. It was a great source of satisfaction that I remember fondly."

Stepping out of your comfort zone

Throughout her professional career, Rábano has had to step outside her comfort zone several times. After debuting with Deportivo La Coruña, she moved to Real Sociedad before joining Barça, Wolfsburg, and Utah Royals, where she is currently playing. "Deportivo and Real Sociedad are two places I remember fondly because they were my early years, I was growing up and you end up creating a family. And then Barça and Wolfsburg meant being at the elite level, with more pressure and perhaps not as much emotion, but I'm grateful and wouldn't change any of the decisions I've made. It's true that I also wish some of them hadn't happened."

Rábano confesses that before landing at Barça, she had already received an offer from Wolfsburg, where she eventually arrived. "In Germany, I found a close-knit team where I felt loved and met people from outside of football who helped me cope much better." Now she's in the United States with her partner and her dogs. "The experience I'm having is great, traveling, getting to know other cultures... I have another two years on my contract with an option for one more. My intention is to enjoy it as much as possible, and I'm very comfortable." The player adds that the American league is trying to import the model that currently exists in European soccer. "At both Barça and Wolfsburg, I trained a lot with the ball, and in the United States, there's a lot of physicality. There are also very talented players, but perhaps the technical and tactical demands of the training sessions need to be increased."

The call from the Spanish national team

Nuria Rábano also experienced the conflict within the Spanish national team firsthand. The resignation of several players led to her being called up. "I was happy to be called up, but at the same time I was thinking about my teammates because I was in a locker room where most had resigned. I went, I did my job, I enjoyed the moment, but always respecting my teammates, as I understood the situation they were going through. When I returned, I spoke with Aitana Bonmatí and Patri Guijarro, and I would do everything I could to help change things." Rábano never resigned, but after a conversation with Montse Tomé, in which she explained her situation, she never received another call-up to the national team.