The Spain international won everything and more in Catalunya – but she'll go down as a Gunners legend if she helps them beat the European champions
Mariona Caldentey has been asked a lot about the potential of facing Barcelona since she left the club last summer. The Spain international won 22 trophies in a decade in Catalunya, but departed for a new challenge, at Arsenal, ahead of the 2024-25 season. “I’ve always said the same thing,” she explained this week. “If I have to play Barca, let it be in the Champions League final.” That’s exactly what she will be doing on Saturday.
Arsenal’s run to this point has been, well, in the words of Caldentey’s former Barca team-mate Aitana Bonmati, a “surprise”. That’s no disrespect but rather the truth; the Gunners haven’t played in the final of this competition since they won it way back in 2007, when it was still known as the UEFA Women’s Cup.
But Caldentey’s arrival has helped to elevate the entire team. That is a huge credit to her talent, which could go under the radar in such a star-studded Barca side. In north London, though, the Spaniard has made an impact that simply cannot be overlooked. Earlier this month, she was crowned Player of the Year in the Women’s Super League and, this weekend, she holds the key to Arsenal upsetting her former club to become champions of Europe for just the second time.
Getty ImagesTricky circumstances
There was a lot of hype about Caldentey’s arrival in England, but fans of the Gunners – and appreciative neutrals – would have to wait a little bit for her to fully hit her stride. That was not so much because she took time to adapt, as the 29-year-old showed her class almost from the get-go, but because of factors out of her control.
To start, there was the poor form that Arsenal began the season with. One win from their first four WSL outings and a disastrous 5-2 loss at Bayern Munich would lead to head coach Jonas Eidevall stepping down, meaning the job of interim Renee Slegers was, first, to steady the ship.
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Caldentey’s position has changed a fair bit, too. She was signed by Eidevall to be a wide forward but, under Slegers, she has also played as a No.10 and as a deeper midfielder. Again, this fluctuation hasn’t exactly stopped her from creating memorable moments, but it is since settling into the latter role more consistently that she has really excelled, perfectly complementing another wonderful midfielder in Kim Little.
“She’s a very good player herself but she makes everyone around her better as well, so I think she sets up situations so well,” Slegers said last month, speaking about Caldentey’s move to that deeper role. “She recognises overload, she recognises the right pass. She can take herself out of situations on the dribble. She’s really good at passing and moving, and so everything that happens around her is, most of the time, a good situation.
"Having her in the middle of the pitch, being able to impact so much of our game, and being creative in those moments from central areas, I think, has been very positive for us.”
Getty Images SportAdapting to a new challenge
It has placed further emphasis on the adaptation Caldentey has had to do – and has done exceptionally. “I'm still the same player who likes to have the ball and defend with intensity, but the biggest difference is the position I play in at Arsenal, more central,” the 29-year-old explained this week. “The English box-to-box, the fact that it's a more crazy or uncontrolled game, has meant that I have to adapt physically.”
It's an assimilation that Caldentey backed herself to make when she departed Catalunya after 10 remarkable years. “Can I be at a great level in another context? Can I show what I am?” she said, recounting her thought process in an interview with earlier this season. “A lot of games at Barcelona were against a low block: attack, attack, attack, league games where we hardly had to defend. It was more tactical. Here, it’s more open, more transitory, bigger distances, space. It’s more physical, the football’s more mad, out of control. I don’t know how many games we’ve finished 4-3.
“And I like that,” she added. “Anything different I can add makes me more complete.”
Getty Images Sport'Total footballer'
It’s hard not to argue that Caldentey is, indeed, complete. As expected, her attacking statistics make for great reading. In the WSL this season, only two players were directly involved in more goals than the Spain star, and only two created more chances than she did. In open play, no one carved out more opportunities. She’s had similar joy in Europe; only Barca’s Claudia Pina has more goals than the Arsenal star in the Champions League this season – with her on the scoresheet in the remarkable comebacks against both Real Madrid, in the quarter-finals, and Lyon, in the semi-finals.
It's when you look at the other side of the ball, though, that Caldentey's quality raises an eyebrow. She ranked fifth in the WSL this term for how often she won possession, with no one doing so more often in the final third, and joint-third for tackles won. In Europe, she ranks joint-fourth for possession won, joint-third for duels won and leads the way for tackles won. This is one of the best playmakers in the world – and she has the work rate and numbers of a disruptive defensive midfielder.
“She’s a total footballer for me,” Slegers said recently – and understandably so. “She’s got everything. I think she’s got intelligence, technical abilities, she’s got an extremely high work rate, she’s a winner. I’m very impressed with her. She brings a lot to our environment.”