“As Spanish women, our determination sets us apart, and this cannot be trained; “We have that and that’s it.”

—Lisa: When we get to the national team focus, I look around, I look at you, and I think about what it took us to get there. Study, early mornings, training…and now the World Cup. When you think about it, it’s powerful. Many people think we are only in handball, but my performance is bad. I try to make the most of every free time, but with computer engineering… it gets complicated. Lots of hands-on work and lots of programming.

—Lindy: You handle it better than you say. I couldn’t wake up early. Sometimes you feel like you’re getting nowhere. And when you come back from a week with games, trips, and physical therapy…the body says enough is enough. But then you are here and you forget a little about being tired.

—Lisa: Yes, because nonetheless, it’s worth it. You put the shirt on and say, “Well, it’s worth it.” It’s like a reset. It doesn’t matter where you come from, what you have in mind… you’re starting from scratch every time.

—Lindy. Completely. It’s like starting over with new energy. They ask me when I decided to devote myself to this, and I think it was when I saw you progress. When I saw that you signed for a European team, and that you consolidated yourself… I thought: “I also want to follow this path.” Before that I didn’t even think about it. But seeing you made me believe it was possible. It was not an exaggerated dream.

—Lisa. Well, I’m the opposite. I never thought I could devote myself to this. I never saw it as a real possibility until the opportunity came along. So I said to myself: Either take it now, or never. That’s why I went to Elche. In Beyti Onak I had not played yet and I had to take this step. In the end we came on different paths, but we are here together. This is the beautiful thing. That each one made different decisions, but they ended up taking us to the same place.

—Lindy. And also to my mother. She didn’t know this world, nothing. But he informed himself of everything, asked, researched… He did what he had to do. I remember seeing her searching for information, videos, and tables, as if she was studying a master’s degree in professional handball, haha.

—Lisa. He never pressured us. We were always allowed to choose. This gives you mental freedom. It makes you feel like you’re not competing out of obligation, but because you want to. This greatly changes the way you train.

—Lindy. This is important. Because in the end you have more fun when you choose. And when things go wrong, you also know why you’re there.

—Lisa. Competing together is weird, isn’t it? And above that in the same position.

—Lindy. There’s Pique, of course. But it’s healthy. It’s a matter of sisters, training together, and demanding of each other. I love it. Being able to share this with you is so special. Not everyone can. I also tell you: training with someone who knows you well will make you wake up quickly. You know very well when I’m lazy.

—Lisa. This is correct. Then there’s La Liga… I haven’t been there for years, but from the outside I see growth and more equality. Before there was a clear favorite; Now anyone can win. This makes every game valuable. And the players are growing too. You see another rhythm, another competitiveness.

—Lindy. Here in the national team the competition is also strong but healthy. We all want to be there. We are all working to achieve this. But there is no positive feedback. Everyone knows what they contribute. That’s why the weather is so good.

—Lisa. This doesn’t start when we get here. It’s a season-long process, with a lot of wear and tear, a lot of stress… it hits your already stressed body. Sometimes I think people don’t know what a full season weighs. But hey, that’s what you do when you want to be at the highest level.

—Lindy. And here everything ended up being specific, but nothing improvised. Each one arrives with her work from home. And now the World Cup is coming: Paraguay, the Faroe Islands and Montenegro will make us play with our heads, without trusting you.

—Lisa. The Montenegro match will be very difficult. Very physical, intense. It’s one of those games that you can’t put down even for a second.

—Lindy. Yes, it’s a 60-minute match with maximum concentration. They don’t stop, and neither do we.

—Lisa. The difference from Spain is obvious: the claw. This is not trained. We have and that’s it. That’s why they call us that. There is something of pride, and of character, in saying, “Here we are.”

—Lindy. Completely. We never lower our arms. We may be worse, we may be lagging behind, but we keep going. This identity is very special.

—Lisa. The coach asks us exactly that. Let’s look for sensations, to be connected. Play like a pineapple. The tactics are more secret, they are not told in front of journalists, but the main thing is for the group to work.

—Lindy. May we have a “feeling” between us. May we enjoy what is coming, because everything that is coming is so beautiful. Because these tournaments, no matter how difficult they are, also give you memories forever.

—Lisa. For me, it would be a dream to play with you in the World Cup. I really mean it.

—Lindy. For me too. On an individual level, I want to feel good, have good feelings, and perform as I want to perform.

—Lisa. I think this is part of a long process. We are witnessing a change in player generations… and this tournament should give us confidence and feelings and show us the way.

—Lindy. I would like to tell the fans to support us. If you can come, come; If not, follow us from home. It is very noticeable that they are there.

—Lisa. Let them know that we are here because of them too.

—Lindy. How do you see me? I see you as someone who has things very clear. When you decide something, you are reckless. Don’t hesitate.

—Lisa. I see you as a very smart person. Very accurate. You do everything for a reason. Nothing about you is improvised.

—Lindy. Maybe that’s why we work so well together.

—Lisa. Or because we have no other choice, right? (And they laugh).