From Rebellion to World Cup Success

Despite being mocked as a control freak unfit for the position, coach Jorge Vilda has finally created history by leading Spain to their first Women's World Cup victory.

In Sydney's sold-out final on Sunday, his side defeated England 1-0 to complete an accomplishment that seemed unimaginable less than a year before.

Dissatisfaction between players and Vilda and the Spanish football federation (RFEF) has been building for some time.

The situation became explosive in September 2022 when 15 members of the team sent an email to the RFEF stating that they did not want to be considered for selection due to their "emotional state".

The exact nature of their complaints was never officially made public, but Spanish media had previously reported that they wanted the 42-year-old Vilda sacked.

Reports said the players, many of whom were at Barcelona, accused Vilda of being "dictatorial" and did not approve of his training methods or tactics.

Mundo Deportivo and other publications said he would insist on the players keeping their hotel doors open before midnight while on national duty so he could personally check that they were asleep on time.

There were also claims that if the players went out, Vilda wanted to know where they were going, with whom, and what they were buying.

Vilda said in the lead-up to the World Cup that the dispute was "practically over", but of the 15 mutineers, he only called up three.

He is a typically guarded character, but following Spain's 2-1 win in the semifinals over Sweden, he said that the turmoil had "made all of us stronger".

"The support of Luis Rubiales, the president of the federation, and everyone at the federation, means so much and will always stay with me, as well as that of my family because they have suffered this year," said Vilda.

Vilda was a promising player in his youth but was forced into coaching by injury.

In 2015, he was made in charge of the senior side.

Spain were at a low ebb, having finished bottom of their group without a win at the 2015 World Cup.

With Vilda at the helm, Spain went out in the last 16 of the 2019 World Cup -- to eventual champions the United States -- and they also failed to get beyond the quarterfinals at two editions of the European Championship.

That lack of success despite the talent of the players at his disposal was also reported to be one of the players' objections to Vilda.

According to reports, Rubiales pledged to address some of the issues by hiring a dietician and extra physical therapists.

The players have a little greater freedom to see their family during camps, including the World Cup.

But he never wavered in his commitment to Vilda.

After Spain won the semifinal, Rubiales spoke to Spanish television about Jorge, calling him a "top-class coach who gave up the chance with other teams for more money to stay with Spain."

Now he and Vilda have more than enough justification.