Captain Sandra introduces her Spain team-mates
Saturday, July 25, 2015
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A keeper whose hair signals her mood, a selfie queen, the team DJ, crazy twin and a gannet with an annoying laugh – Sandra Hernández lifts the lid on her team-mates.
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Sandra Hernández claims to be one of the rowdiest of Spain's bunch, but she also admits to being fiercely protective over her team-mates. Sharing some of the dressing room secrets, the Spain captain gives us the inside track ahead of Monday's WU19 EURO final against Sweden.
1 Paula Canals (goalkeeper, Espanyol)
Paula can be up and down. She can be really grumpy and in a bad mood and then literally she'll let her hair down as it's usually up in a bun, and be easy going with everyone! So if you see the bun – you know there will be trouble. As a goalkeeper she's got great distribution and her physical shape is great.
13 Elena De Toro (goalkeeper, Albacete)
She's very outgoing and friendly with the whole team, but as a player she's very dependable and you want to have total confidence in whoever is in nets.
2 Nuria Garrote (defender, Barcelona)
Very powerful and rarely tires; she'll go far. She's the crazier twin! Very sociable and more open than her sister, Pilar, and loves being around people.
3 Marta Turmo (defender, San Gabriel)
Powerful in defence and always in control, but Marta is the image-obsessed one! The selfie queen is our most vain player, and is stuck to her phone all day, just photographing herself. She won't go out onto the pitch until her hair is perfect.
5 Rocío Gálvez (defender, Atlético Madrid)
A great technical player and really strong, she's improved a lot since she joined Atlético Madrid. She loves music and dancing, so has earned her right to be team DJ. Her and I dance all the time, she's a lovely girl.
9 Lucía Gómez (defender, Levante)
Probably one of the girls I've known the longest, and she's not changed at all. She's really down to earth and as a player she always gives her all. She's dangerous!
12 Jennifer Santiago (defender, Rayo Vallecano)
She's from a travelling background, and is a lovely girl. She has a great personality when you get to know her and never has a bad word to say about anyone.
16 Beatriz Beltrán (defender, Atlético Madrid)
She's a quiet girl, very hard-working and is just as superstitious as I am. Before a game, she'll walk from the centre of the pitch to the penalty spot and then into the goal to touch the bar for luck. She has a great left foot, is very hard-working and goes for every ball.
18 Paola Soldevila (defender, San Gabriel)
Not the most talkative, but really easy to get on with. She keeps herself to herself but is lovely company. She describes football as 'another world' for her to get lost in.
6 Pilar Garrote (midfielder, Barcelona)
An incredible player, always in the right place at the right time. She's much calmer than her sister, and is more reserved and private, but still really sociable. She's addicted to social media too!
8 Laura Ortega (midfielder, Atlético Madrid)
She's the complete striker package. You could throw a stone at her and she would take a touch then score with it. She's from Madrid and is a very classy, quiet girl. She's the one who takes our team selfies – maybe because she has long arms! But she's great for team-bonding and gets us going.
14 Leire Baños (midfielder, Real Sociedad)
Such a happy-go-lucky girl! But she can come out with crazy things. You think she's not listening to your conversations and all of a sudden she'll say 'what are you talking about?! Shut up!' and have us in stitches.
17 Alba Redondo (midfielder, Albacete)
The first thing she does in the room is turn the TV on and insist on leaving it on when we go to sleep. She's a good girl, though, and is always on Skype to her family – she's the girlfriend you'd want your brother to have, very well-mannered. Her good habits haven't rubbed off on me though!
4 Laura Domínguez (midfielder, Madrid)
A very skilful player, with a great technical ability. She eats the most and never puts weight on! She doesn't speak much but her laugh is so loud, and so annoying! We'll be having lunch and we'll have to tell her to be quiet when she laughs. Usually around the time of her third helping.
15 Sandra Hernández (midfielder, Barcelona)
Off the pitch I am very easy-going and happy, always wanting to make sure everyone is having a good time, but on the pitch I'm really protective of the girls. I can be kind of rude on the pitch because I have to put my girls first. I'll be like, 'you're not going to mess about with my friend over there'!
7 Nahikari García (forward, Real Sociedad)
So quick, always heading for goal. She embodies the philosophy of the Spanish team. She knows when to be serious, and knows when to let loose. She's the wise one of our team and is always right, everyone is happy to listen to her.
10 Andrea Sánchez (forward, Barcelona)
Both of us are from the Canary Islands, but she's not a typical islander! We're known for being really loud and shouting, but she's so quiet.
11 Paula Mañoso (forward, Athletic Club)
This girl can really confuse opponents, and can totally change the rhythm of a game. She doesn't say much, but loves being part of the jokes and fun.
Jorge Vilda (coach)
He's intense and intelligent. He's kind of intimidating in a lot of ways, you have to respect him, and we do. Not because we're scared of him, but because we know he wants the best for us. We'll always listen to what he has to say. He's the best coach we've had.