Vero Boquete: "Spanish women's football has finally earned the world's respect"

Everyone knows Veronica Boquete. The only player hailing from Spain to have won the Women's Champions League, she has earned her status as the Spanish female game's poster girl, which is reflected by her role as a LaLiga ambassador. After signing for PSG last summer, she has well and truly conquered Paris in the space of a few months. "My wish for 2017 is to win trophies. I'd love to do the league and cup double. Winning the Champions League would be a dream and, of course, I'm hoping to have a great European Championship with Spain," she told LaLiga during a wide-ranging interview covering the state of Spanish football, her personal situation and her aspirations. 

Question: How's it going in Paris? 

Answer: It's really going very well. The team are top of the table after the first stretch of the season and through to the Women's Champions League quarter-finals. We're contenders on every front and the team are going from strength to strength with every passing day. 

Q: What's the word on Spanish women's football over there?

A: People see it as constantly improving. Spanish women's football has kicked on a great deal lately. We've finally earned respect and recognition from the football world. That's something that was missing but which, thanks to the Spanish national team's results and to the advances among Spanish clubs and in the domestic competitions, we've managed to achieve. 

Q: You're a LaLiga ambassador and the marquee player for Spanish women's football, which has undergone major growth over the last few years. What do you think should be the next step?

A: Continued professionalisation and improvements in the conditions for women's footballers, who should all be equal: there shouldn't be such a gulf between the players at the top clubs and the rest. If we can make that happen, the Liga Iberdrola will become much more competitive; it would bring a quantum leap in terms of quality. 

Q: This past December, the Calderon opened its doors to women's football and more than 13,000 fans turned out to watch Atletico Madrid v FC Barcelona. Were you surprised? 

A: I'm sad to say that I was. If any club were going to do something like that, though, it was always going to be Atletico Madrid or Athletic Club, because of the way they work and their set-up. They really go about things the right way. It was a success not just for Atletico and their players, but for Spanish women's football on the whole.    

Q: Athletic won the league last season. This term it looks like being a two-horse race between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. 

A: They're two teams equipped to challenge for the lot. Despite the good form displayed by Levante UD, as well as Valencia CF, who are up there towards the top of the table, the title race will ultimately be contested between the current top two. I think it's very unlikely that anyone will dislodge them. 

Q: We've spoken about the progress made by Spanish women's sides and the domestic competitions, but the Spanish national team have also undergone a sea change. Or at least that's the impression from the outside: has that much really changed? 

A: The changes go beyond just results which, granted, had already been positive in recent times. We've taken it to the next level. We're a more complete and competitive team now. It's clear that there are many other changes that still need to be made: some things have changed, while others have stayed the same, but what's important is that now we know what we've got to do and how to do it. 

Q: This season has seen Natalia Pablos, Marta Corredera and Vicky Losada return to Spain...

A: It's been great news. I think it's fantastic that players of their calibre have come back. They've raised the standard of the league, and they're Spanish to boot. Here's hoping that in the future we'll be able to celebrate the return of all the Spanish players who are currently abroad. 

Q: Speaking of which, when will we be celebrating your return? 

A: [Laughing] I do see coming back as a feasible prospect. I'd love to return to Spain and not just to retire, but rather to play here. Still, I'm very happy in Paris, I've got a year left on my contract and we'll see what happens after that.