Jenni Hermoso nominated for FIFA award weeks after testifying in Rubiales case

15 December 2023 , 09:37

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Spain forward Jenni Hermoso has been nominated for FIFA's The Best Women's Player of the Year (Image: AP)

World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso has been nominated for FIFA’s The Best Women’s Player of the Year.

The 33-year-old forward has been shortlisted for FIFA’s prestigious accolade alongside Colombia and Real Madrid Linda Caicedo and Spain national team teammate Aitana Bonmati, who scooped up this year’s Ballon d’Or following a sensational year for the 25-year-old midfielder.

Hermoso claimed a first-ever World Cup trophy for Spain in August after a 1-0 victory over the Lionesses in the final in Sydney. But the historic celebrations were marred after Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales kissed Hermoso during the winners' medal ceremony. The CF Pachuca forward maintained that the kiss was nonconsensual.

The incident sparked mass controversy across the sport and, after weeks of intense criticism and calls for his resignation including from the Spanish government, Rubiales stepped down from his post as RFEF chief, though he has continued to argue the consensual nature of the kiss.

The 46-year-old was hit with a three-year ban from all football-related activity after the FIFA Disciplinary Committee deemed his actions at the World Cup - which included grabbing his crotch in celebration at Spain's 1-0 victory over England, as well as kissing Hermoso - in contravention of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.

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Rubiales was served with a restraining order in September and is undergoing a criminal investigation on charges of sexual assault. Hermoso alleged that he pressured her not to complain about the kiss in the aftermath - again something Rubiales denies.

At the end of November, Hermoso was asked to testify in court in the investigation into sexual assault charges against Rubiales. Multiple figures across Spanish football have been summoned to provide evidence, including Hermoso's teammate and two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexis Putellas.

Hermoso has described the kiss as "an impulsive, sexist act, out of place and without any type of consent on my part."

Spain's Jennifer Hermoso celebrates scoring the game-winner against Italy (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Speaking about the physical and emotional toll the saga has had on her, Hermoso said: "For a while I forgot I was a footballer." She added: "But you go back to a training session, to the pitch, wearing your kit, and you try to give the best version of yourself again.

"Being a Taurus makes me see that I have to fight, but also to protect myself. If I want something, I go after it no matter how many times I fail and knock myself against the wall.

"It has helped me to achieve everything I have set out to achieve in the world of football."

Hermoso returned to the Spanish national team set-up in November for the first time since the Women's World Cup, coming off the bench to score a last-gasp game-winner against Italy in the UEFA Nations League.

Megan Feringa