As his players celebrated winning the World Cup for the first time after defeating England 1-0, boos rang out in the crowd when the jubilant Spain boss was pictured on the big screen being congratulated by Spain’s Queen Letizia at Stadium Australia.
Moments earlier, Vilda had looked up to the sky, raised his hands and screamed with joy when the referee ended the match to confirm Spain as world champions.
Controversy has followed Vilda at every turn of this tournament and even in victory there was no escape.
This will go down as one of the most remarkable triumphs in Women’s World Cup history, with Spain entering the tournament amid a backdrop of unrest and a number of players unhappy with Vilda, who had survived a player revolt to keep his job.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) released a statement revealing that 15 players had submitted identical emails saying they would not play for Vilda unless “significant” concerns over their “emotional state” and “health” were addressed.
“Las 15”, as the players became known, denied claims they had asked for 42-year-old Vilda to be sacked, but tension followed amid reports of concern over training methods and inadequate game preparation.
Yet in Australia and New Zealand, his players put aside their differences to conquer the world in an impressive style at just their third World Cup, prompting Spain’s official Twitter account to post: ‘VILDA IN’.
“The girls are eternal now and they have a star on their chest forever,” said Vilda. “It’s been very easy [to manage the group].
“We are a family, we are world champions with a family of players.”
