Spanish female player disguises as a man and silences male football team

Despite strides in the football world to have more female representation, the sport is still largely male-dominated with sell-out crowds a common sight at the FIFA World Cup but not the women's equivalent.

This disparity is not just confined to the crowd size, but also the monetary prize. FIFA dangled US$35 million (S$49.78 million) for the 2014 FIFA World Cup winning team, while the 2015 winning FIFA Women's World Cup team received a measly US$2 million in comparison.

To raise awareness about the sexism facing female football players, Spanish TV Show El Hormiguero hired professional football player Brenda Perez to disguise as a male football player to take on an opposing team of male football players.

After a seven-hour makeover using a wig, beard, and facial mask, Brenda Perez was sent on the pitch as 'Dani Perez' during a non-league football match.

The opposing team was no match for her slick dribbling as she made multiple advances and assists to the opposing end with her nifty footwork.

Frustrated, an opposing player fouled Perez and a free kick was duly award to her team. That was when she removed her disguise to reveal her true identity.

The opposing team was dumbstruck and had bemused looks on their faces, surprised that it was a woman playing on the pitch all along.

And the free kick? It was a goal of course, scored by Brenda Perez.

The video of the match was uploaded on El Hormiguero's Facebook page on Nov 5, clocking over 9 million views in a week.

According to the Daily Mail, Brenda has played for top women's sides including Valencia, Atletico de Madrid and Espanyol.

Doesn't that make the game one-sided considering that it was a professional against non-professionals? Despite that, the point of highlighting a woman's ability to play football just as interestingly as men is still emphasised in this game.

El Hormiguero script writer Jordi Molto told the Daily Mail: "Women's football doesn't have any presence alongside men's football which receives all the media attention."

"Some people might say women haven't got the same physical capacity or the same strength but this shows the technique can be the same and women and men with a ball at their feet can put on the same spectacle."

grongloh@sph.com.sg