Vicky Losada can hardly speak. Literally.
After winning the Champions League title in historic fashion this past weekend, the Barcelona Femeni veteran captain has not stopped the celebrations.
"I actually don't know where my voice is," she tells me, speaking on ¡Qué Golazo! and CBS Sports. "..but I'm so happy. I'm so happy, so happy. I don't believe what we just achieved. It's an amazing moment for us."
Amazing is the right adjective to describe it, but then again, this entire season has been pretty incredible. From winning La Liga with a perfect record (26 wins from 26) to the UCL victory against Chelsea, it's a tremendous moment for the Catalan side. Losada, a native of Barcelona who joined the club at 14, also thinks of this 4-0 victory against Chelsea with extra gratification as she wanted to redeem herself after the 2019 loss against Lyon in the same game. She says now that she and some other players who were also part of that defeat used it as a motivational tool against the Blues.
"A few players that were with me last Sunday, that lost with me in Budapest, it was very painful," says Losada. "Right after that game we spoke to the manager and said, 'this can't happen again. We can't miss another chance in football, we can't lose. If we are in another final, we have to win it...and that's what we did."
Not only did they do it, but they did it in style. Barcelona came out of the gates at 200 mph, embodying the famous Mike Tyson quote, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth". And they punched Chelsea in the mouth. All four of their goals came in the first half. The first one hit the back of the net in under a minute; the second, less than 15 minutes later. The avalanche kept on coming and Chelsea just couldn't cope with the relentless pressure.
Losada, who started on the bench, knew Barcelona were up for it but could have never imagined that kind of start. "I looked at the clock and it was about 40 seconds," she says. "It is true that it's something we want to do when the game starts, we want to give that pressure and for the opponent to feel that pressure." After the game, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes, one of the best managers in the game, was gracious in defeat but also acknowledged that Chelsea's naivete also cost them. Losada agrees. "It was their first final and I remember when we played our first and it can be bad for you sometimes and I think they were a bit unlucky."
But despite the victory, Losada is adamant that Barcelona didn't even play their best game, and there is truth to it, especially in the second half, when Chelsea showed much more grit and determination. "It's something that really annoyed us, we wanted to show the world our style so it probably wasn't our best game but in the end at halftime we said, 'girls, don't lose this. Let's show people what we are able to do."
This is quintessential Vicky Losada. There is always room for improvement, always room for more. She is constantly looking to improve everything about her game and naturally find different ways to help her team. But there is also another guiding factor that fuels her and that's the chance to show girls all over the world, especially in Spain, the growth in the women's game and how their Barcelona heroes don't have to come from the men's side. "When I was growing up, I didn't have anyone to look up to. It was always men's football -- Iniesta, Guardiola, Xavi Hernandez -- and this is very important. It's a massive step for our football in Spain. I think it's our moment in sports and in society and I think we have to take responsibility, to bring all these situations to the next level, and I think last Sunday was amazing [and a good example] to keep fighting for this."
Losada never looks back, always ahead, and for now it's about helping her beloved Barcelona win more trophies, become more synonymous with success and most importantly, continuing with the push to strengthen the women's game.
For the entire conversation make sure to listen to ¡Qué Golazo! and watch the interview on our YouTube channel.
