Salma Paralluelo - FIFA Training Centre

For the sixth article in our world-class skills series, we take a closer look at a new arrival on the world stage. Salma Paralluelo, the Spanish sensation who won the tournament’s Best Young Player Award in Spain’s triumphant FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ campaign, is a versatile youngster who thrills fans and torments opponents with her dazzling runs, laser-guided crosses and composed finishing.

Paralluelo enjoys nothing more than running at opponents, committing them where it hurts the most – at the business end of the pitch. She is already known for her bursts down the channel, getting in behind defences to whip in crosses for team-mates to attack, as well as for her ability to glide inside before driving into the penalty area. The following clips illustrate the raw power and technical grace of Spain’s raider of the final third.

Key insights

As play approaches the opposition’s goal, Paralluelo springs into life on the wing, preparing herself to take on opponents whilst looking for opportunities to breach the defensive line. Her decisive and direct mindset is supported by her physical power and a raft of outstanding footballing attributes; an agile speedster with graceful technique who plays with tactical flexibility and ruthless efficiency.

The jet-heeled attacker is adept at stretching defences, forcing defenders to scramble back and cover the goal area as she looks to get in behind. She excels at moving the ball forward quickly and whipping in pacey crosses that invite team-mates to attack the ball. Her signature move, however, is most tantalising as she drives infield, leaving opponents trailing in her wake whilst offering up just enough of the ball to draw the next challenge, only to then glide past her opponent and slice through the defensive line with her dazzling feet and intricate technique.

Clinical in front of goal, Paralluelo brings a spark and cutting –edge individual brilliance to Spain’s possession game. Last year, her awareness of space, rapid decision-making and ability to dismantle defences with a confidence and composure belying her tender years all enabled her to shine on the women’s game’s greatest stage.

Give-and-go in behind

Our first video is the perfect example of the Spanish starlet’s footballing attributes, offering a glimpse of how she blends her raw power with elegant technique into a dynamic game-changing style of play. We pick up the action, which comes from Spain’s group-stage encounter against Costa Rica at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, with La Roja regaining possession in the final third. Paralluelo (number 18) is lurking near the corner of the penalty area, ready and waiting to receive the ball and poised to attack the defensive line.

(1/5) As the ball comes to her, Paralluelo is already on her toes, scanning the pitch and the Costa Rica backline.

(2/5) After controlling the ball, she shifts it forward as she has already spotted an opportunity to get in behind the defence by playing a deft one-two with Teresa Abelleira (number 3).

(3/5) While accelerating onto the return ball, Paralluelo shows her football intelligence by glancing across the retreating line of defenders to gather all of the relevant information before choosing the best pass.

(4/5) As she takes control of the ball again, her agile mind and raw power have already propelled her beyond her opponents and into a position to cut the ball back to Aitana Bonmatí (number 6), who has ghosted in towards the penalty spot.

(5/5) Ultimately, Paralluelo’s final delivery was just a little too high for Bonmatí to take advantage of the opening that her young team-mate had created, but her involvement shows the speed at which she processes information as well as her ability to create attacking opportunities – incredible footballing attributes that complement her physical power.

Creating something out of nothing, slicing through the final third

Our second video looks at Paralluelo’s instinct to commit opponents in the final third. This clip, also taken from the group-stage meeting with Costa Rica, is the perfect example of her direct running, showing how she looks to take the game by the throat high up the pitch and attack the opposition, almost at will. The footage begins with Paralluelo bearing down on the penalty area from the left wing, ready to challenge Costa Rica’s María Cota for the ball.

(1/7) As Coto (number 3) moves to take possession of the loose ball, Paralluelo is already on the move and hunting it down.

(2/7) Sensing the danger that is incoming from Paralluelo, Coto hesitates slightly and loses track of the ball, giving the La Roja speed merchant the opportunity to pounce.

(3/7) Paralluelo’s sharpness, agile mind and technique allow her to nutmeg her opponent and drive towards the Costa Rican penalty area. Meanwhile, Coto is left trailing in her wake, scrambling to recover while looking back at Paralluelo homing in on goal.

(4/7) An injection of pace sees Paralluelo glide gracefully past two opponents and into the penalty area with the ball under her spell. As she assesses her options, she momentarily slows down to draw another opponent, Mariana Benavides (number 4), out of position.

(5/7) In this clip, Paralluelo entices an opponent to scamper across and make a challenge. In the nick of time, Paralluelo stretches forward and nudges the ball with the outside of her left foot, to swerve past and dance over her lunging and off-balance opponent.

(6/7) By using her team-mate’s run out wide as a decoy to distract Fabiola Villalobos (number 20), Paralluelo creates a pocket of space to fire a shot at goal.

(7/7) In this passage of play, Paralluelo’s brilliance was matched by that of Daniela Solera in the Costa Rican goal.

A simple solution with ruthless execution (shift the ball forward and bend it in behind)

Our next example, which is taken from Spain’s round-of-16 tussle against Switzerland, illustrates another reoccurring theme of Paralluelo’s dynamic final-third exploits: her wonderful crosses curved in behind retreating defenders. It also gives us some insight into her ability to think quickly to breach defensive lines. On this occasion, a simple solution is ruthlessly executed. We join the action as Paralluelo receives the ball close to the left touchline, five metres short of the Swiss penalty area.

(1/4) As Paralluelo drives forward, three opponents are drawn towards her to close her down. This, coupled with a lack of tempo in the Spanish build-up play, restricts Paralluelo’s foray down the channel, but she has a clear view of the pitch to her right and the space to exploit behind the opposition backline.

(2/4) As she glides towards the corner with three opponents scrambling to shut her down, she feints to come inside, a move that breaks up her opponents’ momentum and causes just enough indecision to buy Paralluelo the edge she needs to shape for a cross.

(3/4) One final shift of the ball creates just enough space for Paralluelo to evade the outstretched leg of Switzerland’s Eseosa Aigbogun (19) and to deftly cross the ball with her wand of a left foot, the ball curving perfectly in behind opposition defenders for her team-mate Alba Redondo (number 17) to attack.

(4/4) Paralluelo’s deep, searching cross is met by Redondo, who is only denied by a superb save from the Swiss goalkeeper, Gaëlle Thalmann.

From inside her own half to in off the post

Our final clip, which is taken from Spain’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™ quarter-final clash against the Netherlands, showcases the young Barcelona star’s emerging world-class talent in its entirety while highlighting the cutting edge she brings to La Roja’s perfect passing game. It is also a great example of Paralluelo’s maturity beyond her tender years, showing a young player using all available information to produce a moment of brilliance worthy of the stage. We join the action in extra time as the ball is played long towards the halfway line, with Paralluelo already on the move and ready to react to the next phase of play.

(1/9) As the ball is played in towards Jenni Hermoso (number 10) on the halfway line, Paralluelo is around 15 metres short of the Netherlands’ high defensive backline. Sensing a chance to get in behind the defence, she slips into race mode with her opponent, Lynn Wilms (number 2), at this stage still ahead of her near the touchline.

(2/9) Hermoso spins away from her marker with the ball evading her close control, this entices Wilms to attempt adverting the threat at source rather than continue in a foot race with the flying Spaniard. This is all the encouragement that Paralluelo needs to switch on the afterburners.

(3/9) Seeing that Hermoso is set to play a through-ball, Paralluelo intelligently angles her run infield so that she can latch onto the ball in a more central area and drive towards goal.

(4/9) After powering towards the penalty area with the ball almost tied to her left foot, Paralluelo prepares to engage the next Dutch defender, Aniek Nouwen, by continuing to angle her run infield and then shifts the ball from her left foot to her right, suggesting to the defender that she may be preparing to cut inside to shoot at goal.

(5/9) As the ball rolls forward, Paralluelo feints to the right with a drop of her shoulder and a little right-foot side-step beyond the ball. This puts the defender slightly off-balance, and she is now caught in indecision leaning away from Paralluelo.

(6/9) Paralluelo’s feint to the right is followed by a deft swerve to the left and a little nudge of the ball with the outside of her left foot. Her opponent, who is now leaning in the opposite direction, is completely off-balance and in no position to make a challenge. In a flash, Paralluelo’s fluid, elegant technique has created an opportunity for her to squeeze into the space behind.

(7/9) With the defender off-balance and now scrambling to get across, Paralluelo shifts the ball even further to the left to create space for a shot on goal.

(8/9) One final nudge of the ball to the left intelligently draws the keeper, Daphne van Domselaar, across to the near post and leaves a gap for Paralluelo to exploit.

(9/9) Her wand of a left foot does exactly that, her strike on goal going in off the far post.

Summary

A real livewire on the flank, Paralluelo is never one to miss out on an opportunity to attack. With her blend of raw power, an agile mind and magical skills, she has an innate instinct to penetrate the final third and breach opposition defensive lines. Already a player for the big moments, her world-class individual skills add fearsome bite to Spain’s possession-based collectivity. Unpredictable by nature, she is in her element when making darting runs down the channel or whipping the ball in early, with pace, across the goal area. A true crowd-pleaser and a nightmare for opposition defenders, Paralluelo is already making a name for herself with her ability to tease opponents down the flank before bending a cross in behind retreating defenders for her team-mates to attack, as well as for her propensity to glide infield and dance through the central space with balletic feet to create shots on goal.