Jenni Hermoso expressed her gratitude for football's role in her life, despite the controversy of former Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales' unsolicited kiss.
Speaking at a news conference ahead of Spain's Nations League final against France, the 33-year-old midfielder reflected on the challenging six months since the incident, stating that "football continues to give me life."
She said on Tuesday: "For me, it's very important to play in another final, to continue here. I feel good; football continues to give me the life I need. I want to continue enjoying games with my national team and with my Tigres team and I continue to enjoy this sport. If we win tomorrow, Spain will have made history again."
Rubiales' actions, which have since resulted in a three-year FIFA ban from all football-related activity, prompted boycotts of Spanish national teams and sparked anger across the world over sexism in the women's game.
Hermoso, who plays club football in Mexico for Tigres UANL Femenil, found herself at the center of the controversy and admitted she had found that tough.
"I'm lucky to be back in a final after six very long months. Today I'm enjoying football, competing with Spain to win another tournament. A lot has happened since then. It has been a hard process to understand many things. I'm still playing football, and the only thing I want is to continue enjoying myself wearing this shirt," she said.
