Nadine Kessler, 2014 Ballon d’Or winner and UEFA’s director of women’s football, discussed Barça Femení’s Champions League dominance in a recent interview with Blaugranagram’s partner, Flashscore, in which she also spoke about the increasing fees in the transfer market and next year’s World Cup.
“Barcelona have clearly been the superpower in recent years. What people forget is that they really worked their way to get there. They played many Champions League seasons and lost many games before they reached the top”, Kessler explains.
The former Ballon d’Or winner continues, “of course, it’s good for the game if new clubs challenge at the top, and I’m sure Barcelona are always looking for a new challenge too. This season especially, I think there will be real competition for the title, because it looks like quite an even field. Let’s see who ends up lifting the trophy this year.”
When asked about Spain, with a big number of Barça players, and England, the two strongest national teams in Europe, who were in both the Euro and the World Cup final, ahead of the WC taking place in 2027, Kessler looks confident, “I’m super biased. Obviously I have huge belief in the European countries, and I’m sure we will see them in the latter stages. But Brazil look good, and the USA are very hungry and have a good team. There will be many contenders for the ultimate title at this World Cup. Still, I’m counting on our Europeans to hopefully bring the trophy back home.”
