Comendador goes from strength to strength
Spain have won all three of their group games at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
Pau Comendador continues to impress, having previously shown her skill at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024
The striker spoke to FIFA after her side’s 3-1 victory over China PR
When she runs in behind, defenders know they cannot afford to give her an opening. Give her glimpse of goal, she can punish you in an instant. She is exactly the kind of player you want on your side in the big moments. Pau Comendador continues to show why she is one of football’s most promising young talents and that her performances in the Dominican Republic two years ago were merely a sign of things to come.
Having come off the bench in Spain’s 2-0 win against Nigeria in their opening game at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup™, the Real Madrid player got on the scoresheet with a brace in an 11-0 dismantling of New Caledonia. Against China PR, she scored with a clinical half-volley from inside the box before adding a second with a stunning effort into the top corner after some clever link-up play with Celia Segura.
Just as she did two years ago in the Caribbean, the young Spaniard is stepping up for her country on the global stage.
“I’m really happy, but also really proud to have been able to give my all for the team”, said the attacker, who luckily escaped injury after a heavy knock during the game.
She showcased her immense talent to the world at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2024™ where she helped lead Spain to the final, winning the adidas Silver Ball and the adidas Golden Boot along the way, after scoring five goals. Now just one goal away from equalling that tally in Poland following her back-to-back braces, she shared her thoughts with FIFA as to her tournament so far.
“For the first goal, I saw the ball was only half-cleared and the defender couldn’t get to it, so I just had to put it away. The second one was all about Celia. She held up the ball and laid it off for me — I just had to finish it”, she described in understated fashion, even if her goals have been anything but.
“Pau is extremely difficult to defend against and we really need her in the team”, said her team-mate, Daniela Agote. “When everyone plays well, it shows. Today, it was Pau, but it doesn’t matter who it is because we are all talented players.”
After an impressive campaign in Dominican Republic two years ago, Comendador has continued to improve at both youth and club level. With Real Madrid, she is gradually gaining first-team experience, having played around twenty matches last season for the Spanish giants and scoring two goals.
The 19-year-old has gone from strength to strength since her last appearance at a global finals, and could be set to head to Brazil in nine months’ time where Spain will look to defend their world title.
“I don’t know if she’ll go to Brazil, but with her talent, her future with the senior team is very bright”, said head coach, David Aznar. “Sonia [Bermudez], the coach of the senior team, is monitoring all the players here. I think this tournament puts them in the spotlight and also allows us to see the level they can reach in the medium and long term. This generation clearly has an enormous amount of talent and I’m sure that Sonia has her eye on several players and will be following their development over the next few years.”
However, Comendador remains level-headed about the possibility of joining the senior side:
“I think that all the players here at this World Cup would like to be on the plane to Brazil — it would be a dream come true”, admitted the La Rojita No20, who is determined not to get ahead of herself. “For now, we’re just focused on the [U-20 Women’s] World Cup and on what we need to do here.”
Comendador’s journey has not been without its setbacks. The youngster missed from the spot in the penalty shoot-out loss to DPR Korea in the U-17 World Cup final in 2024, but that disappointment has only fuelled the fire for glory this time around:
“It made me a lot stronger. Bad things happen, but they help you prepare for moments like these.”
The rest of the competition has been warned: Pau Comendador has unfinished business. Two years on, she is back with one goal in mind — to go one better than last time out and become a world champion.