Melanie Serrano

Melanie del Pilar Serrano Pérez[3] (born 12 October 1989) is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a left back for Barcelona in the Spanish Primera División.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Serrano and the second or maternal family name is Pérez.
Melanie Serrano
Serrano in 2019
Personal information
Full name Melanie del Pilar Serrano Pérez[1]
Date of birth (1989-10-12) 12 October 1989[1]
Place of birth Seville, Spain[2]
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Position(s) Left back, left midfielder
Youth career
2001–2002 CD Cantely
2002–2003 Dos Hermanas
2003–2006 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2007 Barcelona B
2007–2022 Barcelona 403
International career‡
2009–2016 Spain 15 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:50, 15 May 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:16, 18 June 2015 (UTC)

Serrano spent her entire 19-season-long football career with FC Barcelona Femení. As of her time of retirement, she is the club's female leader in appearances, and the club's record title holder, having won 27 trophies.

Early life

Serrano was born in Seville on 12 October 1989. When Serrano was 12, her mother moved her and her sister to Blanes, Girona.[4] Serrano’s first experience in a football team was with local side Deportivo Blanes. She underwent trials to join the club after her mother could not afford the fees necessary to join. She later played youth football with CD Cantely and Dos Hermanas.

Serrano was fourteen when she was recruited to join Barcelona’s women’s youth teams. As a teenager, Serrano traveled 3 times a week from Blanes to the Mini Estadi in Barcelona, where she would train.[5]

Club career

Serrano spent her entire professional career with FC Barcelona Femení.[6] Serrano was 14 years old when she made her first-team debut on 15 September 2004, in a 4-4 draw against Espanyol.[7] Serrano became a first-team player in 2007, and Barcelona were relegated to the Segunda División the same year. They returned to the Primera División in 2008.

Serrano was a member of the squad that won Barcelona's first league title in the 2011–12 season. She started Barcelona's UEFA Women's Champions League debut the following 2012–13 season, in a 0-3 home loss to Arsenal.[8]

Serrano scored Barcelona’s opening goal in the final matchweek of the 2012–13 Primera División campaign, helping secure their second league title against Athletic Bilbao.[7][9]

On 6 January 2021, Serrano scored in the Camp Nou against Espanyol in the first competitive match played between women at the stadium.[10]

On 30 June 2020, Serrano extended her Barcelona contract to the end of the 2020–21 season.[11] In June of 2021, Serrano renewed her Barcelona contract for a final year until the end of the 2021–2022 season.[12] In the following season, Serrano achieved multiple final milestones with the club. On 6 February 2022, Serrano played her 500th match for Barcelona and scored in a 7-0 win over Eibar.[13] On 16 April, Serrano reached 400 appearances in the Spanish league.[14] On 13 May 2022, Serrano officially announced her retirement from football after 19 seasons. At the time of her retirement, she was the leader of appearances for FC Barcelona's women's section, and was in the top 10 for total appearances at FC Barcelona, regardless of gender.[7] She also retired with 27 trophies, the most of any FC Barcelona Femení player.[15]

International career

Serrano was a member of Spain's under-19 women's national team, and featured in the 2007 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship.[16]

Her full international debut at the senior level was on 29 October 2009 against Austria at 20 years old.[17] Serrano played one match in qualification for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup, subbing in against Romania. Melanie was part of Spain's squad at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada.[1] Serrano did not play any matches during the World Cup as Spain bowed out in the group stage of the competition.[5]

Personal life

As of 2019, Serrano is studying nursing.[18]

In June of 2021, Serrano’s career was honored by the mayor of Blanes, Àngel Canosa, with a stone plaque of the Blanes coat of arms.[19]

Serrano is in a relationship with Lara Salmerón. In September 2021, the couple announced that they are expecting twins.[20] The twins, Natura and Itzel, were born on 17 February 2022.[21]

Honours

Club
Barcelona

References
  1. "List of Players – 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  2. "Melanie profile". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  3. Profile in UEFA's website
  4. Irigoyen, Juan (24 October 2016). "Ya nadie despierta a Melanie". El País. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  5. Robe, Christian (19 May 2021). "Melanie Serrano, el amor eterno a un club". grada3.com. Grada3. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  6. "Melanie tops all-time ranking for appearances". FC Barcelona. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  7. Poquí, Joan (11 May 2021). "Messi-Melanie: carreras paralelas". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  8. Muñoz, Xavier (16 May 2021). "Melanie, Alexia y Vicky, del inicio en 2012 a la final de 2021". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  9. Menayo, David. "El Barcelona silencia La Catedral con su alirón". MARCA (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  10. "Soccer-Barcelona women rout Espanyol on return to Camp Nou". Reuters. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  11. G. Gil, Aimara (30 June 2020). "Melanie Serrano renueva por el Barcelona por una temporada". AS.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  12. "Triple renovación en el Barça: Melanie, Crnogorcevic y Falcón". AS.com (in Spanish). 26 June 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  13. "Barça Women 7-0 Eibar Women: Absolutely relentless". www.fcbarcelona.com. FC Barcelona. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  14. Puig, Carla (16 April 2022). "FC Barcelona| Melanie Serrano llega a los 400 partidos de Liga". sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  15. Valdunciel, Paula (29 March 2022). "Melanie Serrano, de vivir un descenso a jugar en el Camp Nou". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  16. "Melanie Serrano Pérez stats | FC Barcelona Players". FCB Jugadors. FC Barcelona. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  17. international debut
  18. López Tovar, Antoni (8 March 2019). "Melanie Serrano: "Los niños iban en taxi; yo, en tren"". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  19. "Homenaje a Melanie Serrano en Blanes". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  20. "Melanie Serrano Anuncia Sera Madre Partida Doble". Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  21. Batalla, Jordi (20 February 2022). "Melanie Serrano ya ha sido madre de gemelas". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  22. "Chelsea 0-4 Barcelona: Barça surge to first Women's Champions League title". UEFA.com. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
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