Spain's head coach, Montse Tomé, has announced her squad for the upcoming UEFA Women's Euro 2025, and the roster notably excludes Jenni Hermoso, the nation's all-time leading scorer. This decision marks a significant shift from the team that triumphed at the 2023 World Cup, with Tomé making 12 changes to the squad.

Hermoso, who plays for Tigres in Mexico, has scored 57 goals in 123 appearances for Spain. Her omission comes despite featuring in all six of Spain's Euro 2025 qualifiers, with her last appearance for the national team being in October 2024.

Tomé explained that the decision to leave out Hermoso was based on the high level of competition for places in her position. "I understand Jenni is an important player. I spoke with her about her situation, and we've done the same work with her as everyone else," Tomé stated. "We have assessed her performances for Tigres and spoken with her coach. In her position, we have Patri [Guijarro], Aitana [Bonmatí], Alexia [Putellas], Maite [Zubieta], Vicky [López], and even Mariona [Caldentey] or [Claudia] Pina can come in there." She emphasized the difficulty of narrowing down the selection to just 23 players.

The coach's explanation highlights the wealth of talent available to Spain, particularly in midfield and attack. The inclusion of stars like Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, both Ballon d'Or winners, underscores the team's strength. Other notable players in the squad include Mariona Caldentey, who recently won the Champions League with Barcelona, and Leila Ouahabi of Manchester City.

Aside from Hermoso, Real Madrid goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez is also a notable absentee, while Laia Codina and Teresa Abelleira are missing due to injury. The squad features a strong Barcelona contingent, with 10 players from the club, while Real Madrid contributes four. New faces like Esther Sullastres, Adriana Nanclares, Maite Zubieta, and Cristina Martín Prieto are set to make their debuts in a major international competition.

This decision comes against the backdrop of the controversy surrounding Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Football Federation, who was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso without her consent after the World Cup final. While Tomé has stated that her decision is based purely on footballing reasons, the shadow of that incident inevitably lingers.

Spain, placed in Group B for Euro 2025, will begin their campaign against Portugal on July 3 in Bern. They will then face Belgium and Italy on July 7 and 11, respectively. Before the tournament, Spain will play a warm-up match against Japan on June 27.