Luis de la Fuente Slams Ballon d'Or For Snubbing World Cup-Winning Spain Star

Spain national team manager Luis de la Fuente has openly criticized the Ballon d'Or organizers for completely omitting World Cup-winning midfielder Jenni Hermoso from the prestigious women's award shortlist. Speaking ahead of upcoming international fixtures, the outspoken tactician expressed his profound disbelief that a foundational pillar of La Roja's historic 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup championship campaign in Australia and New Zealand was entirely overlooked by the voting panel. Hermoso, who currently plays club football for Tigres UANL in the Mexican Liga MX Femenil and scored three crucial goals during that triumphant tournament run, deserved recognition among the world's elite footballing talents for her exceptional leadership and on-field excellence under immense pressure.

The glaring omission of the veteran forward has ignited a fierce debate across European football regarding the criteria used by France Football and UEFA to select nominees for the individual accolades. During Spain's victorious World Cup journey, Hermoso started all seven matches, orchestrating the midfield masterclass that ultimately defeated England 1-0 in the Sydney final thanks to Olga Carmona's decisive strike. Furthermore, the 34-year-old remains her nation's all-time leading goalscorer with over 50 international goals, making her exclusion from a thirty-player shortlist featuring global stars an unprecedented statistical anomaly that has drawn widespread condemnation from former players, supporters, and coaching staff throughout the footballing community.

As the football world anticipates the upcoming gala ceremony in Paris, this high-profile controversy threatens to cast a lasting shadow over the credibility of the voting process for women's football categories. De la Fuente’s public backing underscores a growing solidarity within Spanish football as they continue advocating for greater institutional respect for the golden generation that conquered the globe in August 2023. Looking ahead to the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifiers, Spain remains fiercely determined to let their performances on the pitch silence any lingering administrative slights, with Hermoso continuing to feature prominently in national team plans as they chase back-to-back major international championship titles.