Jenni Hermoso


Jennifer Hermoso Fuentes is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX Femenil club Tigres UANL and the Spain national team. She is the all-time top scorer for Spain, and was part of her country's championship side at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, where she was also awarded the Silver Ball.
Hermoso developed through the youth teams of her hometown club Atlético Madrid, where she stayed for eight years before continuing on to Rayo Vallecano. Hermoso won her first senior title with Rayo in 2011, and in 2013, made her first international move to Tyresö FF in Sweden. Months later, she competed in the UEFA Women's Euro 2013 with Spain, scoring her first competitive international goal in a group stage win against England.
Hermoso moved to FC Barcelona in 2014, where she advanced her position from attacking midfielder to false 9. Her positional change turned her to a prolific goalscorer, as she earned two Pichichi titles as the Spanish league's top scorer as well as two league titles and two Copas de la Reina. She also competed with Spain at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, Spain's first ever participation in the tournament. After exiting Barcelona in 2017, Hermoso went abroad to PSG and then returned to Spain in the 2018–19 season to play for the club where she developed, Atlético Madrid. She won her third Pichichi title and fourth league title there.
Hermoso rejoined FC Barcelona in 2019 following Spain's exit from the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup tournament, where she finished as Spain's top scorer. In her final three seasons at Barcelona, she won three league titles, three Copas de la Reina, and the 2020–21 UEFA Women's Champions League, alongside the continental treble that same season. Individually, she finished both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 league seasons as the Primera División's top scorer, in 2020 and 2021 she finished as the top scorer in Europe's top five women's leagues, and in 2021, was the joint-top scorer in that season's UEFA Women's Champions League. At the end of 2021, she finished second in Ballon d'Or voting and was the world's highest female goalscorer of the calendar year with 51 goals.
Following Barcelona's second-place finish in the 2021–22 UEFA Women's Champions League, Hermoso signed for Pachuca in Mexico's Liga MX Femenil. In 2023, Hermoso participated in her third World Cup with Spain, which they won for the first time in their history. During the medal ceremony, Hermoso was kissed by then-RFEF president Luis Rubiales in an event that would later be called the Rubiales affair. The kiss itself and Rubiales' response to the criticism against him sparked intense international backlash, the eventual removal of Rubiales and Spain head coach Jorge Vilda from the federation, and the ongoing promise of an immediate restructuring of the entirety of Spanish football.
Hermoso holds the record for the most all-time Pichichi trophies with five. Hermoso also holds the record of the top all-time goalscorer for Spain, achieving this milestone in 2021.

Early life

Hermoso grew up playing futsal and seven-a-side football, sharing teams with boys throughout most of her youth.
Hermoso is the granddaughter of Antonio Hernández, a former goalkeeper for Atlético Madrid. As a child, he would take her to watch Atlético's matches at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. She also has a younger sister named Sofia, who is known as Jenni’s number one supporter. She also plays soccer for an academy. Hermoso began playing at Atlético Madrid at twelve years old with encouragement from her grandfather.

Club career

Atlético Madrid (2004–2010)

After developing with their youth teams, Hermoso made her senior debut for Atlético Madrid in the Segunda División on 5 December 2004, scoring a goal in a 6–0 victory over Vicálvaro. In the 2005–06 season, she played 16 games and scored 12 goals, including the goal that secured Atléti's promotion to the Superliga against UE L'Estartit.
Hermoso left the club in 2010 after spending 8 years with Atlético.

Rayo Vallecano (2010–2013)

Hermoso's signing to Rayo Vallecano was announced on 5 July 2010, alongside 7 other new signings. Rayo, who won the 2009–10 Superliga, were automatically qualified to the 2010–11 UEFA Women's Champions League Round of 32. Hermoso scored her first Champions League goals against Icelandic club Valur. Rayo reached the knockout stages, where they were eliminated by Arsenal. In the final of the 2010–11 Superliga, Rayo Vallecano played RCD Espanyol in a two-legged tie. In the first leg, Hermoso started and scored a penalty which gave Rayo the lead before an equalizer from Veronica Boquete. Hermoso went on to score the tie-winning goal in the return leg, winning her first ever and Rayo's third league title. As of 2021, it is the last major title Rayo have won.
In qualification for the 2011–12 UEFA Women's Champions League, Hermoso scored two goals against Estonian club Pärnu. In the final match of qualifying, Hermoso scored her first Champions League hat-trick against Slovenian team ŽNK Krka. Rayo finished the qualification round with 3 wins from 3 matches to advance to the Round of 32 of the Champions League, where Hermoso scored her first Champions League knockout round goal against Valur in the Round of 32. Rayo were eliminated in the Round of 16, again against Arsenal. In the 2011–12 league season, Rayo achieved fourth place. Hermoso scored the game-winning goal against Barcelona in May 2012, ending their season-long unbeaten streak.
The 2012–13 season started well for Rayo, but results worsened and Hermoso left the team coinciding with the Nueva Rumasa scandal that left Rayo's women's team without financial support.

Tyresö FF (2013)

In 2013, Hermoso left Rayo to join Tyresö FF of the Swedish Damallsvenskan for the 2013 season. Tyresö was Hermoso's first venture outside of Spain, and the first time she was able to play football as a professional.
Hermoso debuted with Tyresö in the Champions League on 9 October against Paris Saint-Germain, where she entered as a substitute for Caroline Graham Hansen. She then played two other Champions League matches with the club, the second against PSG and another against Fortuna Hjørring. Hermoso left the club in December having scored 6 goals in 20 league matches. Tyresö would end up being runners-up in the Damallsvenskan and runners-up in the Champions League.

FC Barcelona (2014–2017)

2013–14 season

At the end of the 2013 Damallsvenskan season, Hermoso contacted then-coach Xavi Llorens to play for FC Barcelona Femení. In January 2014, Hermoso left Tyresö FF to join Barcelona. She signed with a 6-month contract to continue to the end of the 2013–14 season.
On 12 April 2014, Hermoso scored Barcelona's third and final goal in a match against Atlético Madrid, which clinched the club's third league title. On 21 June, Hermoso started the 2014 Copa de la Reina final against Athletic Club Femenino, which went to a penalty shootout after being tied 1–1 in extra time. Hermoso converted her penalty, Barcelona's fourth out of five, and won her first Copa de la Reina trophy.

2014–15 season

Hermoso was cup-tied with Tyresö for the 2013–14 UEFA Women's Champions League season, and wasn't able to make her debut with Barcelona in the competition until the 2014–15 season. She did so in the Round of 32 against SK Slavia Prague.
On 22 April 2015, Hermoso won her second league title with Barcelona and her third overall.

2015–16 season

In her second full season at the club, Hermoso moved farther up the pitch to play as a false 9. In doing so, Hermoso began a prolific goalscoring career. She scored her first goal for Barcelona in the Champions League in the Round of 32 return leg against Kazakh side BIIK Kazygurt.
Barcelona made it to the 2016 Copa de la Reina final against Atlético Madrid. Hermoso scored 2 goals and nearly completed a comeback from 3–0, but Barcelona failed to score another and the match ended 3–2 in favor of Atlético. At the end of the season, Hermoso earned her first ever Pichichi title by scoring 24 goals in the league.

2016–17 season

In February 2017, Hermoso was nominated to the 2016 FIFPro Women's World 11 for the first time in her career. She was selected as 9th among the 15 players in the midfielder category. In March 2017, Hermoso scored a header against FC Rosengård in the quarterfinals of the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League to help send Barcelona to their first ever Champions League semifinal. On 2 May, Hermoso scored 6 goals in a single match against Basque side Oiartzun in a 13–0 win, positioning her to finish as top scorer over Atlético Madrid's Sonia Bermúdez. Hermoso ended the league season as the top scorer for the second season in a row, scoring 35 goals in 27 matches.
On 18 June 2017, in the 2017 Copa de la Reina final, Hermoso scored a brace to win her second such title with the club.
Hermoso scored 77 goals in 90 games in her first 3-year stint at Barcelona.

Paris Saint-Germain (2017–2018)

On 3 July 2017, after being linked there since January, Hermoso signed a three-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain. At PSG, she was given a deeper role under Patrice Lair and played more as a midfielder than as a forward. She debuted with her new team on 10 September with a 3–0 win over Rodez. Her first goal didn't come until 17 December, on matchday 12, again against Rodez.
With PSG she played 19 of the 22 league games, 17 of them as a starter, and scored 6 goals. She was also PSG's assist leader with 7. PSG finished second in Division 1 that season, securing a spot in the 2018–19 UEFA Women's Champions League, and also won the 2017–2018 Coupe de France.
On 10 August 2018, PSG reported a mutual termination of contract with Hermoso, as manager Olivier Echouafni said she was homesick for Spain.

Atlético Madrid (2018–2019)

After playing only one season at Paris Saint-Germain, Hermoso returned to Spain and re-joined Atlético Madrid on 10 August 2018. In her one-season back, she was a key player in Atlético winning their third consecutive league title. At the end of the season, Hermoso scored 24 goals with Atletico to earn her first Pichichi title with the club and her third such title overall. In the 2018–19 Copa de la Reina, she was runner-up when Atlético lost to Real Sociedad 2–1 in the final.
Hermoso was named the ninth-best playmaker of 2018 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics and the best Spanish player of 2018 by The Guardian. They highlighted her adaptation to Madrid, noting that she had scored in each of Atléti's matchdays except two. She was also chosen to the league's Best XI of the season.