Mariona Caldentey: My game in my words
When Arsenal signed Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona in the summer of 2024, they knew they were getting one of the most acclaimed players in women’s football: a serial Champions League winner, a World Cup winner the previous year. There were high expectations. In her first season, she surpassed those expectations: being voted the Women’s Super League (WSL) Player of the Season, and inspiring Arsenal to Champions League success.
Before this weekend’s Champions League semi-final against Lyon, Caldentey sat down with The Athletic to look through some of her most famous goals and assists, and discuss her journey from Mallorca to north London. Assisting Olga Carmona in the World Cup final, Spain 1-0 England, 2023 The biggest game in football. I’m interested in how this move works out, because you know you’re up against Lucy Bronze, who moves into midfield and loses the ball.
Yeah, I think the idea of playing me as a winger is a bit like being the fourth midfielder, and that’s why normally, when I have the ball I just dribble inside and then the full-back — here Olga — would just run up and down the whole game, like it’s playing with no winger. We have played together a lot, and she just ran, and screamed to me when she’s ready to receive the ball. It was a great finish.
Presumably you know she’s coming at quite an early stage here. And so what’s your thought process? Are you trying to occupy the defender and create space?
Yeah, I’m trying to give her time to arrive, and try to keep her (points at Jess Carter) engaged to me. Then Olga comes with higher speed, and the defender needed to stop because I was slowing down the ball. So I think that gives the advantage to Olga in that moment.
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