Paula Moreno: "It's a dream come true"

Many people in her position would have been overcome by nerves. Picture the scene: your maiden outing in the Liga Iberdrola, in your team's first-ever fixture in the division, in front of a packed crowd at the Luis del Sol Training Ground, and all at the tender age of 19. But not Paula Moreno. She did not quake in her boots; indeed, she showed nerves of steel to net three times. "As a young girl, you dream of playing in the Liga Iberdrola and scoring goals. Now, all of a sudden, I've seen my dream come true," explained the hotshot, who is currently the joint-leading scorer in the top flight of Spanish women's football.

Hers has been a somewhat circuitous route to becoming one of Real Betis Women's brightest hopes, although her love affair with the beautiful game has been constant: "We live and breathe football at home. My dad put a ball at my feet when I was very little," she reminisced. She was just nine when she began playing for a team in her native Marchena, in Andalusia, and she did so alongside boys ranging from her age to 12 years old. After that she moved to the girls' ranks at Puebla de Cazalla CF, prior to signing for Sevilla FC and then eventually making the switch across town to their arch-rivals, although not before making her mark against them!

"I played against Betis several times during my time at Sevilla and I scored the winner in one of those games," revealed Moreno, adding that she still can't live it down in the Betis dressing room.
The starlet was instrumental in the Verdiblancas' rise into the Liga Iberdrola, firing them to promotion last term with 44 goals in 27 matches. "I'm an out-and-out striker. My aim is to enjoy this dream and to help the team with my goals," said the teenager.

When she was growing up, she modelled herself on Raul Gonzalez. The Real Madrid legend's influence is not hard to detect when you watch her play, even though she wears the number 10 shirt. She boasts the same predatory instincts and is a real fox in the box, as shown by the nature of her hat-trick against Sporting Club de Huelva on the opening matchday of this season. That treble took the 19-year-old's tally to an extraordinary 116 goals in 80 appearances.

Moreno believes that competing in the Liga Iberdrola can only benefit her game. "The chance to face the likes of Alexia Putellas and Sonia Bermudez is fantastic. They're internationals and the prospect of measuring myself against them fills me with satisfaction and pride. Not everyone gets to experience what we are experiencing right now," concluded the forward, who is hopeful that, having reached the top flight, Betis are there to stay.