Nerea Carmona watched Spain’s opening match at the Women’s Under-19 EURO from the bench. The team dominated Switzerland, came from behind and eventually conceded an equaliser in the 87th minute.
Three days later, David Aznar made four changes to his starting line-up. One of them came in central defence. Nerea stepped in against Iceland, completed the 4-0 victory and then played another full 90 minutes against Austria, as Spain won 2-1 to secure top spot in the group. She also adapted from playing in a back three to operating in a back four.
She came in and stayed.
The context helps explain the value of that decision. Spain arrived in Bosnia with European champions, leading scorers from major tournaments and players developed in the academies of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Nerea is also a player for the future, but her name was not among the headline names in the squad.
Her path has attracted less attention. Born in Barcelona on 19 January 2007, she plays as a centre-back for FC Ona Sant Adrià, within the FC Badalona Women structure.
She made her Liga F debut in December 2023 and has played in the top flight in each of the past three seasons. The 2025/26 campaign brought her greatest involvement so far, including a start against Barcelona in the Catalan derby.
Work before recognition
After making her top-flight debut, Nerea explained how she viewed the path to the top:
“Talent alone will not get you to the First Division. There is much more to it, such as hard work, consistency and discipline.”
The words fit her career. She has not been an undisputed presence throughout the entire Under-19 cycle, nor does she belong to the group with the most titles in the squad. Her progress through Spain’s youth teams has been built through training camps, call-ups and opportunities she had to take in order to keep moving forward.
She was involved during qualification for this tournament, and David Aznar eventually included her among the 20 players selected to travel to Bosnia. She began the finals outside the team, but became one of the changes the coach turned to after Spain’s opening draw.
There is no spectacular moment that explains her introduction. Nor is there a match report presenting her as the outstanding figure in either victory. Her contribution lies in something less visible and more difficult to sustain: making the position her own, adapting to two defensive structures and completing the 180 minutes in which Spain went from an opening setback to first place in the group.
This Tuesday, Spain face Sweden for a place in the final. Nerea Carmona arrived at the tournament surrounded by footballers who have long been identified as leading prospects. She has reached the semi-finals as one of the players in whom Aznar has found a certainty.