Jorge Vilda Rodríguez (born 7 July 1981) is a Spanish football coach and UEFA Pro Licence holder, who is the current head coach of the Spain women's national football team - a position he has held since 2015. Vilda is also sporting director of the Spanish FA's (RFEF) women's national-team system and tactical instructor at their National Coaching School.

A former youth player at Real Madrid, Rayo Vallecano and FC Barcelona, Vilda began as an assistant coach at WU17 and WU19 level, before taking the head coach's position with Spain's WU17s in 2009. During five years at that level, Spain won gold (2010 & 2011), silver (2014) and bronze (2013) at UEFA Women's U-17 EUROs,[1] in addition to silver (2014) and bronze (2010) at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

In 2014 he was among the ten nominees for that year's FIFA Coach of the Year for Women's Football and was appointed to the head coach's role with Spain's WU19s, who collected silver medals at the UEFA Women's U-19 EURO in 2014 and 2015 before being appointed as head coach to the senior side since then.

Spain women's national football team

Appointed Spain's senior head coach in 2015, succeeding Ignacio Quereda, Vilda oversaw a successful qualifying campaign for the UEFA Women's EURO 2017.[2] At the competition in the Netherlands they reached the quarter-finals, where they lost on penalties to Austria after a 0-0 draw.[3]

In 2018 Spain won the Cyprus Cup and also secured their place at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup - only their second appearance at the global event. Additionally, Vilda oversaw Spain's victory at the UEFA WU19 EURO, which contributed to being shortlisted for the award of The Best FIFA Woman's Coach 2018.[4]

By 2019, many of the players that Vilda had worked with at youth level, including Alexia Putellas, Amanda Sampedro, Virginia Torrecilla, Lola Gallardo, Nahikari García, Patri Guijarro, Mariona Caldentey and Ivana Andrés, had all established themselves as regular senior-squad members. At France 2019, Spain qualified from Group B in second place (behind Germany and ahead of China PR and South Africa), the first time Spain had reached the knockout stages of the FIFA WWC.

Drawn against 2015 champions USA in the Round of 16,[5] two penalties from Megan Rapinoe ended Spain's chances of reaching the last eight. Vilda and Spain's momentum has continued into 2020, with La Roja finishing second in the She Believes Cup - beating England and Japan and losing to hosts United States.

In UEFA Women's Euro 2022, Spain was rated as the top contender for the European title, and once again proved to be a dominant team, but its lacklustre performance once again deprived Spain of its first major trophy, after suffering a blowing defeat to the English hosts in the quarter-finals.

Controversy

He has been denounced repeatedly by players of the Spain women's national football team under his guidance as deficient as coach, psychologically abusive, and unqualified (obtaining his job due to contacts with the directives, not merit). "One source close to them talks of anxiety, players in tears, of an atmosphere that is unsustainable. There is little communication with Vilda, who is overbearing. The environment inside (Spain women's national football team) the team has become tense, unpleasant at times. Some within the squad consider the coach to be in a position that he does not merit, put there more by personal relationships than qualifications, protected by the president who they doubt truly believes in women’s football. In their view, others who are equally unqualified occupy positions of power round him. Vilda’s tactics, methods and group management have faced internal criticism by players who demand more, his gameplans considered deficient or even nonexistent.[6][7]

In 2022, players for the Spanish national team requested "not to be summoned until situations that affect our emotional and personal state, our performance and, consequently, the results of the Selection are reversed and that could lead to undesirable injuries." Vilda's actions as coach have been seen by the players as dictatorial, surveillance like, and unprofessional.[8] Vilda has denied his authoritarian accusation, while fellow manager and coach of Spain national under-21 football team, Luis de la Fuente, has voiced his support for Jorge Vilda.[9] Luis Enrique, coach of the senior men's Spain national football team, also backed RFEF and Vilda.[10]

Managerial honours

• Spain senior women's national team
  • Algarve Cup winners 2017[11]
  • Cyprus Cup winners 2018[12]
• Spain WU19s[13]
  • Runners-up at the UEFA WU19 EURO in 2014 & 2015
• Spain WU17s
  • Winners of the UEFA WU17 EURO 2010 & 2011, runners-up in 2014, third in 2013[1]
  • Runners-up at the FIFA WU17 World Cup 2014, third place in 2010[14][15]
• FIFA Coach of the Year for Women's Football
  • Nominated for the award in 2011 & 2014
  • Shortlisted in 2018[16]

References

External links

• Jorge Vilda at Soccerway
• https://www.womenssoccerunited.com/jorge-vilda-interview/
• https://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/coaches/coach=250014446/profile/index.html
• FIFA.com
• FIFA.com

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