Maite Oroz swivels in a plush leather Tottenham Hotspur-branded chair in the club’s main press conference room. As far as dramatic chair reveals go, the Spain international is no Blofeld. Wearing ripped blue jeans, a baggy white T-shirt and a contagious smile, Oroz’s energy is more Mamma Mia than Bond villain.
As her right hand springs forth for an introduction, the 5ft 1in (156cm) midfielder looks as if she could be devoured by this boardroom chair. But her size is part of her superpower; the ability to look almost harmless on the pitch before doing something laughably good with a football, leaving her opponents contemplating what had just happened.
“I am small,” Oroz tells The Athletic. “But I like a fight.”
Oroz, conducting her first external media interview in English since moving to north London, is speaking less than 24 hours after Tottenham’s 1-0 Women’s Super League (WSL) victory against Leicester City. The win marked the start of the season’s second half and extended Spurs’ unbeaten league run to three matches, placing them three points off Brighton in fifth and eight points off Manchester City in fourth.
It was Oroz’s neat one-two with full-back Amanda Nilden that resulted in the game’s decisive own goal from Leicester goalkeeper Janina Leitzig….
