Women’s World Cup kiss-gate star Jenni Hermoso poses for the cover of GQ in Spain, as she reveals storm over disgraced FA president Luis Rubiales made her ‘forget I was a footballer’

• Hermoso also thanked Sarina Wiegman’s England side for support post-final 
•  The No 10 has recently rejoined Spain’s national team for Nations League games 
• Liverpool’s Luis Diaz is extraordinary – Listen here to It’s All Kicking Off 

Jenni Hermoso has shared the experience of the World Cup final ‘kiss-gate’ scandal made her ‘forget she was a footballer’ in a new interview that sees the World Cup winner pose for the cover of GQ. 

The Spain international was caught up in a wave of controversy when she was subjected to a kiss on the lips from Luis Rubiales, the then-head of the Spanish FA (RFEF), whilst collecting her winner’s medal. 

Despite the federation at first denying that the kiss was unconsensual, Hermoso later spoke up and sparked a chain of events that saw Rubiales suspended by FIFA and pressured into resigning his position with RFEF. 

Rubiales was later banned from football-related activity for three years by world football’s governing body. 

In the wake of the World Cup final, Hermoso took just under a month before returning domestic duty for her club, Mexican side Pachuca, but found the intervening weeks difficult as she suffered threats after speaking out. 

Jenni Hermoso posed for the cover of GQ as one of their honourees at this year’s Man of the Year awards

The Spain No 10 was named Woman of the Year by GQ Spain after winning August’s World Cup

But Spain’s historic victory threatened to be overshadowed by then-president of RFEF Luis Rubiales’ nonconsenual kiss of the player during prize-giving

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‘For a while I forgot I was a footballer,’ Hermoso continued. ‘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.’   

The scale of ‘kiss-gate’ on international front-pages – as well as backlash that unfairly targeted Hermoso – threatened to overshadow Spain’s historic win, but in her first interview since the achievement, the No 10 shared her gratitude for voices that had been on her side, and that of the players. 

‘At the beginning, it was hard to understand what was going on; the movement that was unleashed,’ Hermoso told the magazine, who are honouring the player at their Man of the Year Awards in 2023. 

‘I’m grateful for the fact so many people were on my side, on our side. Actresses, footballers, some of our rivals at the World Cup, like the England team, who we beat in the final. 

‘It all gave me the strength to carry on and go through this for everyone.’

Amongst those singled out were a handful of Spanish men’s players – Borja Iglesias, Hector Bellerin, and Isco – who spoke out publicly in support of their female compatriots. 

The player returned to the pitch in mid-September on duty for her club side Pachuca Femenil

Rubiales resigned from RFEF after a tumultuos few weeks and has been banned from football-related activities by FIFA for three years

Hermoso rejoined the Spanish national team set-up in October for their Nations League ties

But the actions of Spain’s national men’s football team came under scrutiny as few players chose to take a stand alongside the women’s side in the weeks after the World Cup final – which saw much of the women’s national team boycott international duty until Rubiales tendered his resignation. 

However, the men’s team issued a group statement that said the side wanted ‘to reject what we consider the unacceptable behaviour on the part of Mr Rubiales, who has not lived up to the institution he represents.’

Of her experience as part of the women’s side, Hermoso shared: ‘Our philosophy as a team is to always be united and do as we feel. 

‘This is how we’ve achieved everything so far.’  

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