Kosovare Asllani is a polarizing character. She has recently been the target of scrutiny in the Madrid press. There have been rumors of her leaving Real Madrid Femenino. But one thing is certain — when people look back at the formation and rise of Las Blancas, Asllani will have been intrinsically linked to the club’s success.

The First Signing. The First Galáctica.

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol have become famous for signing Galácticos — out of this world talent bought with large sums of money. There have been many Galácticos to wear the famous white kit of Real Madrid, from Zinedine Zidane to Cristiano Ronaldo.

On July 18, 2019, Asllani was dubbed the ‘First Galáctica.’ She was signed by CD Tacón 17 days after Real Madrid reached an agreement to absorb the newly promoted club.

Asllani is a world class player that was deserving of the title attributed to her. She has won seven trophies including the FA WSL Title and the Damallsvenskan (Swedish League) twice and has played for top clubs including the Chicago Red Stars, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City. Asllani has been a fixture in the Swedish National Team for years and helped lead them to a silver medal in the Rio Olympics and a third place finish in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The Swedish striker took a chance on CD Tacón and Real Madrid. Normally, a player of her quality wouldn’t even give a thought to an offer from a newly promoted club. But she took the chance, showed faith in the project, and opened the door for others like her.

Other Galácticas soon followed in Asllani’s footsteps. Her country-woman, Sofia Jakobsson, signed for CD Tacón. They also signed former Champions League winners Aurélie Kaci and former World Cup winner Babett Peter, as well as Chioma Ubogagu and Thaisa Moreno. Not to mention the nine signings ahead of the 2020-21 Primera Iberdrola season.

First Goal. First Brace. First Hat-Trick.

At the start of the 2020-21 Primera Iberdrola season, the club was competing in the top flight as Real Madrid Femenino. After a 4-0 loss to Barcelona, Las Blancas traveled to Valencia. It only took 22 minutes for Real Madrid to find the back of the net. Kenti Robles lofted a cross into the box. Asllani cut in front of her defender and smashed a header into the bottom right corner. It was a historic goal on an historic day for the club. It was October 11, 2020 and, although no one could watch the match in live time, Madridistas shared the video with great joy.

A little less than a month later the Swedish striker made Real Madrid history again. It was November 4, 2020 and the first brace under the club crest was scored by Asllani against Deportivo Abanca. The Swede doubled Las Blancas’ lead when she was played through by Marta Cardona. Asllani slid to reach the pass and poked it into the net. She was played in again late in the match and fired right at the goalkeeper, but followed up the shot to notch her double.

Then Saturday happened. It was Asllani again. A free-kick, a lofted chip, and a tap-in all in 155 seconds made her the first player to score a hat-trick for Real Madrid Femenino. But it wasn’t just that. It was the fastest hat-trick in the history of Real Madrid (men’s or women’s), the third-fastest ever (men’s or women’s), and the fastest hat-trick scored in the women’s game.

Asllani set the world on fire with her stunning display — the entire soccer world was talking about it. But Asllani made it known that she wasn’t listening to the noise. As her chip seemed to hang in the air for an eternity, she stuck her arms out in celebration. When it finally hit the back of the net she turned and plugged her ears. The scrutiny; the rumors? She was having none of it.

Asllani hadn’t scored since December 13, 2020, but context is always important. It seems like a long scoreless drought but Las Blancas had two matches postponed during that stretch. She had only gone five matches without scoring.

The Swedish striker leads Real Madrid Femenino. She is tied on 12 goals with Ludmila of Atlético Madrid for third overall in the race for the Pichichi.

Asllani may be at Real Madrid for years to come or there may be some truth to the whispers that she may be on her way out of the club. Either way, Asllani deserves endless respect, though that does not mean she is infallible. The Swede came to CD Tacón with the goal of making Real Madrid Femenino one of the top women’s teams in the world. She has been a trailblazer for the club, setting records that will be etched in the annals of Real Madrid history.

We are witnessing the formation and transformation of Real Madrid Femenino and there has been no player more integral to this process than Kosovare Asllani.