Salma Paralluelo

Salma Celeste Paralluelo Ayingono (born 13 November 2003) is a Spanish footballer and former sprinter. She is known for her achievements in both track and field events and football. Paralluelo plays as a left winger for FC Barcelona in the Liga F league and represents the Spain women's national football team.^[3]

Salma Paralluelo

Paralluelo in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Salma Celeste Paralluelo Ayingono
Date of birth	(2003-11-13) 13 November 2003 (age 20)[1]
Place of birth	Zaragoza, Spain[1]
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s)	Forward(Left winger)[2]
Club information
Current team	Barcelona
Number	17
Youth career
	San José
	Zaragoza CFF
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Zaragoza CFF B
	Zaragoza CFF
2019–2022	Villarreal	37	(23)
2022–	Barcelona	24	(14)
National team‡
2018–2019	Spain U17	20	(9)
2022	Spain U19	3	(1)
2022	Spain U20	5	(3)
2022–	Spain	14	(8)
Honours Women's football Representing  Spain FIFA Women's World Cup Winner 2023 Australia-New Zealand FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Winner 2022 Costa Rica FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Winner 2018 Uruguay UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship Winner 2018 Lithuania Women's athletics European Youth Olympic Festival Representing  Spain 2019 Baku 400 m hurdles 2019 Baku Medley relay
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 June 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 August 2023

Early Life and Background

Salma Celeste Paralluelo Ayingono was born in Zaragoza, Spain.^[4] Her father is Spanish, and her mother is from Equatorial Guinea.^[5] Her mother moved to Spain to get better medical treatment for her son from a previous relationship who had a severe congenital vision deficiency.^[6] This move allowed Salma's family to receive medical support for her brother's condition. Apart from her brother, she also has two more brothers, José Jaime and Lorenzo, both of whom are footballers.^[7]

Athletic and Football Career

Paralluelo's sporting journey began in athletics. She joined the San José Athletics club in Zaragoza and later the Scorpio-71 club in Zaragoza. She quickly gained attention in the athletics world. In 2019, she won a bronze medal at the Spanish Indoor Athletics Championships in the 400-meter event, setting a Spanish national record for her age category.^[8]

Changing to Football

Paralluelo's talents extended beyond athletics. She also excelled in football. She started her football career with UD San José in Zaragoza and played for Zaragoza CFF and Villarreal in Spain. After her contract with Villarreal ended, she signed with FC Barcelona at the end of the 2021/22 season.^[9]

International Achievements

Salma Paralluelo achieved remarkable success in international competitions. She won the 2018 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship, the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, and the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup with the Spanish national teams. She made her senior debut for the Spain women's national football team on 11 November 2022, scoring a hat-trick in a friendly match against Argentina. Notably, Paralluelo was a nominee for the 2022 FIFA Puskás Award, recognizing outstanding goals in football. In the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup,^[10] Paralluelo was a key player for the Spain women's national team. She scored crucial goals in the quarter-final and semi-final matches, helping Spain reach the World Cup final for the first time in history.^[11]

On 15 August 2023, she scored a goal in Spain's 2–1 victory over Sweden, contributing to her team's journey to the World Cup final.^[12]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup		Other		UWCL		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Villarreal	2021–22	Primera División	8	3	1	0	–		–		9	3
Barcelona	2022–23	Primera División	15	10	1	2	2	1	6	1	24	14
Career total			23	13	2	2	2	1	6	1	33	17

International

List of international goals scored by Salma Paralluelo

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 November 2022	Estadio Municipal Álvarez Claro, Melilla, Spain	Argentina	3–0	7–0	Friendly
2				4–0
3				5–0
4	6 April 2023	Estadi Municipal de Can Misses, Ibiza, Spain	Norway	3–1	4–2	Friendly
5				4–1
6	5 July 2023	Gladsaxe Stadium, Gladsaxe, Denmark	Denmark	2–0	2–0	Friendly
7	11 August 2023	Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand	Netherlands	2–1	2–1	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
8	15 August 2023	Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand	Sweden	1–0	2–1	2023 FIFA Women's World Cup

References

1. "Salma Paralluelo Women's First Division". La Liga. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
2. "PARALLUELO – 11". Villarreal CF. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
3. "FIFA Women's World Cup awards: Bonmati wins Golden Ball". FIFA. 20 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
4. "Continúa la búsqueda de Florencio Ayingono Eworo | Entrevista con su madre, Diosdada Ayingono". AraInfo · Diario Libre d'Aragón (in Spanish). 2012-12-21. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
5. "Salma Paralluelo, la futbolista y velocista que bate todos los récords". El País.
6. "Aparece sin signos de violencia el cadáver del universitario desaparecido en Zaragoza".
7. "Los hermanos Paralluelo brillan con fuerza en la 'Cantera Grogueta'".
8. "Salma Paralluelo signs for FC Barcelona". www.fcbarcelona.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
9. "Salma Paralluelo signs for FC Barcelona". www.fcbarcelona.com. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
10. "La lista oficial para el Mundial de Australia y Nueva Zelanda" [The official list for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 30 June 2023.
11. "Women's World Cup 2023: 'Great day' as Spain reach first semi-final despite off-field issues". BBC Sport. 11 August 2023.
12. Downey, Sophie (2023-08-15). "Spain reach their first Women's World Cup final as late winner sinks Sweden". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-16.