The Madrid-born forward’s possible return to Atlético remains just that: a possibility. But it would bring back to Liga F one of the players who helped shape its history and offer her a final chapter defined by football, not by what was done to her after winning the World Cup.
In recent days, Jenni Hermoso’s name has once again been linked with Atlético Madrid.
No signing has been announced. She remains under contract with Tigres until December 2026, and the reports surrounding a possible return are not enough to consider the deal done. It may happen, or it may become just another transfer story that never materialises.
But it would be wonderful news.
Not only because Atlético would be adding goals, experience and a distinctive way of shaping attacks. Nor because playing in Spain again could strengthen Jenni’s chances of reaching the World Cup in Brazil.
It would be wonderful because Spanish football still deserves the chance to welcome her back.
Jenni left Barcelona in 2022 after six and a half seasons across two spells. She moved to Mexico having scored 181 goals in 224 appearances for the club, lifted the Champions League and won five league titles. She departed as one of the most important footballers Spain had ever produced, although nobody knew then that she might never play in the Spanish league again.
Pachuca followed, then Tigres and, in between, the 2023 World Cup.
Spain returned from Australia with their first star and Jenni with the tournament’s Silver Ball. Yet one of the most important days of her career was hijacked by Luis Rubiales’s actions and everything that followed.
For far too long, she was discussed in relation to the kiss she did not consent to, the subsequent pressure and the court case. She became the symbol of a cause that transcended sport, but that public role also began to obscure the footballer herself.
Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer. The player who won the Pichichi five times. A European champion with Barcelona and a world champion with Spain. A forward who never needed to remain permanently inside the penalty area to dominate matches.
Jenni Hermoso is much more than what was done to her.
That is why her possible return would mean more than a transfer. Liga F would welcome back a player who helps explain how the competition reached this point. Spanish supporters would have another opportunity to watch her without everything being inevitably shaped by an episode that had nothing to do with football.
Atlético would also provide a fitting sense of symmetry.
Jenni joined the club’s academy at the age of 12 and began a career that would later take her to Rayo Vallecano, Tyresö, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Mexico. She has already returned once, joining Atlético for the 2018/19 season, winning the league and finishing as its leading scorer with 24 goals.
Going back now would begin a third spell at the place where everything started.
No contract should be awarded as a tribute. Jenni is 36 and, if she returns, it must be because Atlético believe she can still help the team. Recognising her career does not mean abandoning sporting standards.
That is precisely why bringing her back now would be so special: while she can still play a leading role on the pitch, rather than merely receive a tribute once she has retired.
Perhaps the rumour will lead nowhere. Jenni may remain in Mexico or choose another destination when her contract expires. Her career will remain extraordinary, wherever she chooses to play its final games.
But Spanish football still has unfinished business with her.
To watch her play here once more. To give her the chance to say goodbye on a Spanish pitch. And, when that moment eventually comes, to talk about her touch, her goals and everything she gave to the game.
Jenni Hermoso, the footballer.
