Spain’s Vicky Lopez has the world at her feet

Barcelona have only gone and done it again. In an era where which Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí came through at the club to become the best in the world, Vicky López may well be next.

Lamine Yamal isn’t the only 18-year-old sensation they have on their books; Vicky López actually scored one more league goal than her men’s team counterpart, ending 2024/25 with 11 goals and two assists form her 37 games across all competitions.

López has been surrounded by hype throughout her short career. At just 15-years-old she was handed her debut in the Spanish topflight for former club Madrid CFF (not that Madrid), becoming Liga F’s youngest ever player, after racking up 60 goals in 17 games in the 2020/21 youth league.

Madrid CFF are well known for bringing through some of the best young talent the Spanish women’s game have. Unlike many, they aren’t attached to a men’s team, but their youth sides have competed with plenty of boys, still winning everything on offer.

In the Segunda Infantil, a competition for 12 and 13-year-olds, they won the championship one year, scoring a massive 269 goals, the most of any team in the Madrid Comunidad, including Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid or Getafe.

She was the undisputed star of Spain’s U17’s as they reached the final of the Euros and then went on to win the World Cup in 2022, despite being the youngest member of the squad, scoring two goals and providing one assist in her six appearances, picking up the Golden Ball along the way.

By the time her 16^th birthday came around, Barcelona came knocking and she made the move. López became one of the first girls to live and train at their famous La Masia academy after it opened its doors to women back in 2021, where she’s understood to have become close friends with Yamal.

They knew they had secured a real gem. Even at such a young age, it was easy to tell she had elite level qualities. López is rapid and the ball sticks to her right-foot, making her somewhat of a serial dribbler.

Playing primarily as a right-winger, her ability to read the game allows her to drop a little further back into central midfield, where she can fill in and learn from Putellas and Bonmatí. It’s the type of situation any young star would dream of being in.

Barcelona’s plan was to ease her in, keeping her in the B team, who play in the second division, but López had other ideas. She broke another record, becoming the youngest player to score for Barca in Liga F at the ripe old age of 16 years, five months and 27 days.

She’s everything Barcelona fans love from a winger, the joy on her face when she plays is obvious, again, she’s much like Yamal in that regard. López has dealt with the massive weight of expectation on her shoulders by doing what she does best, having fun.

Breaking into this Barcelona starting eleven is arguably one of the hardest things to do in football, and López still has some way to go. The woman in her way is Caroline Graham Hansen, one of the best players of her generation.

Graham Hansen is taller, more combative than López, she is Norwegian after all. López offers coach Pere Romeu an entirely different option with her tricks and close control, but when the time comes, considering the 12-year age gap between the two players, he has a ready-made replacement.

López’s fine form last season earned her a call-up to Montse Tomé’s squad for this summer’s Euros. Unsurprisingly she’s the youngest member of the group, and the only teenager, with fellow Barca ace Salma Paralluelo a little ahead of her at 21.

Coming into the tournament following a disappointing Euros campaign back in 2022, Spain is undoubtedly one of, if not the, favourite to win it outright. Current holders England and France are their close competition, although neither have started quite as well as the Spanish.

Their first game of Group B was against Portugal in Bern, the geographical and political centre of host nation Switzerland. López was handed her first start of the competition, coming in for Barcelona teammate Bonmatí, who was rested, as one of the two number tens.

She didn’t take long to make an impression. Veteran striker and NWSL top goal scorer Esther González opened the scoring after just two minutes before López doubled their lead in the seventh with a tap in.

The finish was easy, but it was her movement that made it. López took the ball down expertly after a dismal headed clearance from the Portugal defender, laying it off to Ona Batlle, who then passed it to Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey.

López found herself exactly where she needed to be with a clever run, latching on to Caldentey’s low cross to make it 2-0 from close-range. Her game ended in the 81^st minute, replaced by first-choice Bonmatí having completed 100% of her dribbles (5/5), created three chances, and 46/52 (88%) of her passes.

Tomé trusted López enough to give her a second start against Belgium, and again, she grasped it with both hands. She drifted off into acres of space, completely catching the Belgium defender out before gently passing the ball to Putellas who thundered it home.

She now has two goal contributions from her three games. Bonmatí was back into the first team as Spain took on Italy in their final group game, and it’s likely to stay that way for the rest of the tournament as it enters its latter stages.

López will still have plenty of chances to play over the next couple of weeks. As an option off the bench, with her abilty to draw defenders out of position and slip a teammate in with a single touch, there aren’t many better, despite her young age.

Whatever happens this summer, López will remain arguably the best young talent women’s football has. First Europe, then the world.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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