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.