Lopez shortly caught consideration at Madrid, although her path to the highest was not with out main obstacles.
At simply 11 years outdated she misplaced her mom to a mind tumour. When her mom’s situation worsened and her father virtually lived on the hospital, Mellado and her Madrid team-mates helped Lopez get to coaching and saved her occupied.
From there, Lopez developed at outstanding pace. In 2019, she was named most respected participant at a La Liga-organised match for under-12s women’ groups after scoring seven targets, together with a hat-trick within the ultimate.
She caught the attention by scoring 60 targets in 17 matches within the 2020-21 youth league, and commenced her journey by means of the nation’s junior ranks.
In September 2021, Lopez turned the youngest participant to function in Spain’s high flight when she got here off the bench towards Athletic Bilbao, aged 15 years and 42 days.
“In fact she had the power – I all the time advised her so,” Mellado mentioned.
“I additionally pushed her onerous, as a result of if she actually needed it, she needed to all the time give her finest and he or she all the time did. She was one of many hardest-working and he or she by no means as soon as complained.
“She is aware of what she desires – that is essential, as a result of it makes her try daily to attain it.”
In 2022, perennial Spanish champions Barcelona signed Lopez on her sixteenth birthday, and two months later she turned the youngest debutant within the membership’s skilled historical past.
She did so sporting the quantity 30, the identical shirt worn by Lionel Messi when he broke into the Barca first group.
That season Lopez turned Barcelona’s youngest-ever Champions League debutant, male or feminine, and the youngest participant ever to attain in Liga F.
If followers weren’t already excited by her potential, they have been in October that yr when she was named MVP as Spain gained the U17 World Cup in India.
Lopez made her senior Spain debut in February 2024, changing nationwide icon Jenni Hermoso through the Nations League semi-final. At 17 years, six months, and 27 days, she develop into her nation’s youngest debutant.
A breakout 2024-25 marketing campaign – throughout which she stepped in for the unwell Aitana Bonmati to assist Spain attain the ultimate of Euro 2025 – led to her profitable the Kopa Trophy for the most effective younger participant on the earth.
After initially getting used as a winger, Lopez is now largely utilized in a central position for membership and nation despite competition from the likes of Bonmati, Patri Guijarro and her idol Alexia Putellas.
A mixture of intelligence, wonderful method and athleticism permits her to each rating and create – she has contributed 9 targets and 9 assists in 26 Liga F video games this season, 16 of them as a starter.
“She’s not afraid of something and he or she tries all the pieces. And I believe that is why, even in groups with a lot expertise, she’s beginning to earn a spot within the beginning line-up,” Vidal mentioned.
“As we are saying in Spain, she’s a type of footballers you purchase a ticket to observe, as a result of she enjoys the sport and makes you get pleasure from it too.
“She’s simply as extroverted on the pitch as she is off it.”
