Jenni Hermoso isn’t a helpless woman who was pulled into an unwanted kiss. She’s the prolific scorer who propelled Spain through the 2023 World Cup bracket. She’s much more than the summoned plaintiff seeking an investigation from the Spanish attorney general’s office on whether that act rises to a “crime of sexual assault.” She’s the swaggering player who broke down in tears after helping her team make history by winning the whole thing.
The identities assigned to Hermoso now threaten to overwhelm and diminish everything she accomplished before Luis Rubiales, the president of the Spanish soccer federation, placed his greasy paws on her face and pulled her into that kiss.