Claudia Zornoza: "As a result of the injuries I got rid of all my hobbies because I think they are not good"

the day has come. This Friday Spain debuts in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand against Costa Rica. Claudia Zornoza (Madrid, 1990) has traveled to this appointment. The Real Madrid midfielder receives EL MUNDO and tells us how she sees the team facing this competition and what it has meant for her to enter the list for a major tournament for the first time.

What are your feelings ahead of the World Cup? I am very happy for this opportunity. I have been working for many years and that it comes to me now is an enormous emotion and illusion. I try to be at 100% in each training session and with the load that they are placing on us, we know that we will arrive in perfect condition.. We are very motivated. It is the first time that he has made the list, because for the European Championship he came to replace Jenni Hermoso. What did it mean to see your name in the call? I'm still not very aware. It is true that, having been working so hard all these years, for me it is a reward for work, for not giving up and for continuing to try.. I've been through injuries and many teams. I've been learning a long time until I got to this moment.. I don't think about the call, but about enjoying it to the fullest, taking advantage of all the opportunities I have and smiling every day for it. From the European past to today, what has changed to gain a place among the 23 chosen? I always think that things happen for a reason. I do not focus on not taking me to the European Championship, but rather on continuing to work and contributing things that perhaps I did not have before, such as the defensive theme. I think I have reached that level that years ago I did not have. I am a person who tries to improve in everything I can and to be more complete. He has played nine games with the national team and shares a dressing room with players like Alexia Putellas, who has over 100. It could be said that you are a complete rookie. I feel like one more with the whole group. I have coincided with many during some calls in which I have been previously. It is true that I have not played any tournament, and it is a plus to continue to death and to enjoy it. I focus on that and nothing else. In enjoying it and in thinking that it is a World Cup. It is the third time that Spain has participated in a World Cup. In the previous one, the team fell in the round of 16 against the United States. How do you see this year? It is clear that it will be hard and that we will have to work hard to arrive in the best conditions. We have many alternatives to the game, which is the good thing about the team. There are different players, and each one brings something different. I think that's something we can use and, of course, we'll go to win the World Cup. Do you feel a lot of pressure because of the result you have to get in the tournament? The pressure is always on the players. In the end, the demand we put on ourselves is very high, but I don't think it limits us. On the contrary, it's going to be something that motivates us much more and that makes each game feel like a final for us.. In my case, my head is focused on gaining confidence and that when I see it clearly give the final pass. I think that pressure helps me not to make mistakes, to always be there, both defensively and offensively, and to be focused.

Claudia Zornoza during a training session. Pablo García RFEF An issue that is always linked to the national team is the controversy of the 15 'rebels'. How do they carry this in the locker room? I don't look at social networks. I only have Instagram, and Twitter I don't even look at it. I am a player who remains quite detached from all that, and I always focus on sports. I am a soccer player and I limit myself to it. I think the dressing room is perfect, there is a very good group and we know that this is necessary to reach the top. Vilda, precisely, when she gave the list, spoke of that good atmosphere in the dressing room. Has this great union been generated these days? As in all groups, there are people who are more fun and others who contribute other things to the group. I think there is a great connection, which is being forged day by day, and that is what we focus on, being positive above all and moving forward. In the friendlies that you have played before the World Cup, you have achieved very good results. How do these kinds of matches help you ahead of the tournament? Help the team gain confidence and continue working on what we've been doing these weeks. It is good for us to gain confidence. He has commented on several occasions that he is a very methodical person. I have to confess that as a result of the injuries I got rid of all my hobbies, because I think they are not good. Yes, I am methodical with small details, such as having a well-packed suitcase or always leaving things in one place. But before a match I work things out more mentally, I think about what I have to do well and from there go out to the match. Do you see any particularly tough opponent? No, I really think there are huge powers like England or the United States, but we've already played against them. They are matches in which the team, as always, when the opponent is so tall, does not feel tired or anything. We are going to death and we are not afraid of them arriving. In recent years we have witnessed a growth in women's football. How do you assess this? I have lived through this entire period of growth. I have played with colleagues like Natalia Pablos or Jade, who are already retired. I have lived from playing on the ground with balls in my house until today, and for me everything that has been achieved I value it very much. I pay attention to every detail and I really enjoy it because we come from where we come from. It is true that it has been a long time coming and that there is still a lack of growth, but everything that is being done is worth appreciating.