as interview with mery ruiz

Writing up the notes for the Zaida story right now. (Thank you so much to everyone who's commented, I hardly even know how to respond. I just, I really appreciate it.) I did most of the initial research last winter/spring and I wanted to share some of the things I came across in the process. This is an interview from AS, via the fantastic website futfem.com, with Maria (Mery) Ruiz, the first (female) Spanish player to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions' League. The last few lines are pretty heartbreaking, especially for Madridistas.

Original Spanish here. Translation by yours truly, all corrections welcomed.

Her story bears a certainly similarity to that of Raul. Maria Ruiz, known to most as Mery, is a Madrileña by birth (06/13/1983), a Madridista by heart, and a striker by position. Last season she made the decision to leave Espanyol, just proclaimed champions of the Copa de la Reina, to play for Zvezda 2005 in the Russian league.

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