It is 7pm at Massey University, Palmerston North — Spain’s base in New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup.
The city is further north than the capital, Wellington, and there is no sea nearby. Since Spain arrived here on July 8, the wind and the heavy rain have made it clear to the team’s players and coaching staff that they are no longer home.
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“Coming from Madrid, the cooler temperatures are welcome,” says Ona Batlle, the full-back who spent three years at Manchester United before returning to Spain with Barcelona this summer.
“At least for me, I’m used to the climate in Manchester. I like it to be cooler for playing. I feel like I’m in Manchester, I’m adapted.”
Batlle is speaking to The Athletic before Spain’s opening match of the tournament against Costa Rica. It has been more than 10 days since they landed in New Zealand, although Batlle, 24, says they have only just recovered from the jet lag after the 30-hour journey to Auckland and a time zone that is 10 hours ahead of Spain.
“The jet lag when we arrived was a bit tough,” the 28-cap Spain international says. “I don’t think I’ve ever had it before, it’s something new. It’s cool to be able to live these experiences. To play a World Cup on the other side of the world, and with our families coming to see us… It’s worth the jet lag to be here.”
Not so long ago, it seemed as if Batlle might not be able to enjoy that experience. She was one of the 15 players who sent an email to the Spanish football federation (RFEF) last September asking to be made unavailable for selection because of concerns with the national setup. Eight of them chose to reverse their decision before the World Cup after being assured of changes by the RFEF — but only three of those eight were named in head coach Jorge Vilda’s final squad.
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It has been a tough year for those players. Batlle and her new Barcelona team-mates Mariona Caldentey, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas (who has just recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury) have not played for the national team since September. They have had practically no time to smooth out the conflict.
“We are all professional footballers, we know what we’re here for,” Batlle says. “We all have the same goal: to win the World Cup or go as far as possible. You don’t have to be best friends with your team-mate to coordinate on the pitch.
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“We have a psychologist in the national team. In my case, I also have my own psychologist, with whom I work every two weeks. Not just to deal with the situation, but to be mentally prepared to be able to compete in a World Cup; to be 100 per cent in every situation.
“We have a good group synchronisation. We are comfortable, we coordinate on the pitch. Things are going well for us. We are working for it.”
Despite her age, Batlle has regularly been named as one of Spain’s key players to look out for at this World Cup. She left Spain for Manchester aged 21 and returned to Liga F three years later as one of the best full-backs in Europe.
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Her versatility in playing on both the left and the right makes her a unique player and someone who is difficult to replace for club and country.
“My role will be the same as always,” she says. “I contribute to the team both inside and outside. I always try to give my best. The football I’ve played in Manchester has given me something different. I feel much more physical, more powerful. That can help the team to pull from the back, defending more strongly.”
Spain are looking to improve on their poor record in international tournaments. In 2015, they were eliminated in the group stage of their first World Cup. In 2019, they failed to advance past the round of 16, where they lost against the U.S. Last year, they were knocked out of the European Championship quarter-finals by tournament hosts and eventual winners England after extra time.
La Roja certainly have the players at their disposal to change those results. Putellas is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner and the current holder of that award and Bonmati is one of the top candidates to win the next time that prize is handed out, after leading Barca to a Liga F-Champions League double last season.
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“These last few years we have boomed through hard work and perseverance,” Batlle says. “Spanish women’s football has been growing and we have shown we can really be among the best in the world.
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“It helps to believe it more to know what you have around you. Having top players like Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati, Salma Paralluelo or Irene Paredes next to you: you know they are going to make you better. The ambition to win and be the best team in the world is something that is contagious. You can see it on the pitch.”
Not that Batlle and her team-mates are taking anything for granted. Spain face Japan, Costa Rica and Zambia in Group C, and Batlle says World Cup debutants Zambia are the side she fears the most.
“They have players who can surprise you on any counter-attack,” Batlle says. ”But if we play well, it shouldn’t be difficult for us.”
Batlle is coming off a busy end to the season. Her Manchester United team finished runners-up in the FA Cup, losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the final. They were also pipped to first place in the Women’s Super League by Chelsea, finishing just two points below them.
Then Batlle took a big decision to return to Barca after rejecting an offer to renew her deal with United. She came through the ranks at the Catalan club before leaving for Madrid CFF in 2017, moving to Levante a year later and then United in 2020.
“I know Barca, despite not having been in the Champions League-winning Barca,” she says. “I am ready for that. It’s a challenge for me. It’s being among the best players in the world. I’m excited.
“Playing in the Champions League and being able to compete every day in training with the best gives me a plus. The ambition to be fighting for all the titles is something that motivates me. I want to be there and see the best version of myself. I want to be part of the best team in the world.”
It is that kind of ambition that Spain will be hoping to harness in Australia and New Zealand.
(Top photo: Ulrik Pedersen/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
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