Few have experienced the full spectrum of football’s soaring highs and crushing lows in such a short space of time as Arsenal and Spain’s Mariona Caldentey.
Two European finals in the space of nine weeks. First, a Goliath-sized win with her English club against her former side. And then came the devastation of a penalty miss for her country as European glory slipped away from the Euros’ most consistent team – even after Caldentey had opened the scoring in the final.
Spain were splendid at the summer’s tournament with their midfield magician at the heart of much of their success. The world champions had the most chances, scored the most goals and kept the most clean sheets, but ultimately their beautiful football fell short at the final hurdle to the full-blooded desire that Leah Williamson and Co encapsulated.
Now with the WSL back in full swing, Caldentey is choosing to focus on the positives, insisting there is no bad blood between her and her English club teammates.
‘It was sad, of course,’ the 29-year-old said. ‘We (Spain) had a great Euros and were so close. We only lost in the final on penalties. We’d never reached a semi-final or final before, so it was already an achievement to get to that stage but of course when you are there, the goal is to win. We were close for a moment, we played good football, but then at the end, England were more ruthless than us.
‘Coming back here to Arsenal was fine though – we respect each other. I congratulated them, they congratulated me for the Euros. Now we are in the same team and we are fighting for the same goals again. I’m happy for them. I would have loved for the final to have gone differently of course, but everything that England has done has been amazing.’
Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey experienced two European title finals in the space of nine weeks
The 29-year-old midfielder helped the Gunners lift the Champions League for the first time in 18 years after beating her old team, Barcelona, 1-0 in a tense final in Lisbon in May
Caldentey claimed the PFA Women’s Player of the Year award in recognition of her dominant first season at Arsenal – where she scored 19 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions
For Caldentey, football’s relentless pace has softened the sting of that spot-kick heartache.
‘Football goes so quickly. Good or bad, the next day you have another opportunity and another chance to start again,’ she says.
A tinge of gold has helped lift the gloom somewhat, too. Shortly after receiving a Ballon d’Or nomination in recognition of her dominant first season in north London, Caldentey claimed the esteemed PFA women’s Player of the Year award only a couple of weeks later. After scoring 19 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions in her first season in north London, she describes how the individual accolades only serve to fuel her hunger.
‘They motivate me to improve and help the team,’ she says. ‘I want to win as many trophies as possible with the team. If individuals do well, the team does better – and when the team is better, we feel better individually. You can’t separate that in football.
‘It gives me confidence. I know when I’m happy I can play my best football and I feel really good here – the staff, players, everyone at the club makes it easy for me.’
The arrival of the Mallorcan native last summer came as a surprise to many at the time. A key figure in an incessantly successful Barcelona team, Caldentey’s decision to swap the riches and sunshine of the hazy Catalonian coast for the notoriously gloomy English weather and a team in Arsenal who hadn’t lifted a league title in five years or a European trophy in 18 was, undoubtedly, unconventional.
Upon her arrival she optimistically described it as a desire for a new challenge and the opportunity to immerse herself in a new culture, but she admits now that nothing could have prepared her for the challenge of the opening few months and the Gunners’ struggles under former head coach Jonas Eidevall.
‘The start of last season was hard,’ she says. ‘I think it was the moment that I struggled the most because, for weeks, we couldn’t win or we couldn’t get the results that we wanted. That was a challenge because I came from a club where we won every week.’
The midfielder also scored the opener in the Euros final against the Lionesses in Switzerland
But she also missed a penalty as Spain sunk to a 3-1 defeat in the penalty shoot-out to England
Caldentey describes how winning a big trophy last year has given Arsenal the confidence to become even more consistent than their league title rivals Chelsea, who have won six in a row
Caldentey admits it also took some time to find her feet. Part of that was getting used to English – something she still finds frustrating since it can make it hard to fully express herself – but she has come a long way.
‘The first month was really busy. A new car, new house, new phone… when you move, there are so many little things you need to do to actually settle. Once that was done, I started to enjoy things on the pitch a bit more.’
Did she ever imagine after that first month that Arsenal would be lifting the Champions League? ‘No’, she replies, simply.
‘After that first month, I couldn’t imagine we’d win it. But it’s something amazing that we’ve done – the comeback against Real Madrid, beating Lyon, and then Barcelona in the final to bring the trophy back to England after such a long time, it was amazing.’
Unable to take any credit for bringing the title back to England (despite her seven goals in the competition placing her joint-second in the standings), she instead points to her team’s mentality and the role her young Gunners head coach, Renee Slegers, played in the achievement. Seven years her senior, Slegers was appointed Arsenal’s boss just weeks after the Spaniard arrived in the capital.
‘Maybe because she’s (Slegers) not that experienced, she’s really open, asking a lot of questions, speaks a lot,’ Caldentey says. ‘That creates a good environment between the players and the coach. We feel her confidence, and I hope she feels ours.’
That belief in her team’s mindset and Slegers’ leadership has also shaped Arsenal’s approach to their domestic rivals.
‘Chelsea have been amazing and consistent for years, but of course we want to change that,’ she adds. ‘Winning a big trophy last year gave us confidence that we can be even more consistent than them. We have the squad to compete with them, even knowing they’re a great team with a great coach. In football, anything can happen and we will try to bring the trophy here.’
A part of enjoying her new life has also meant that she has been experiencing everything that London has to offer, especially when friends and family are in town and a trip to the West End is on the cards. Although there is one thing she admits she still can’t seem to wrap her head around: the English cuisine.
‘I always mention two things I miss from Spain: the sun and the food. I always ask visitors to bring me jamon from home,’ she adds. ‘But honestly, we’re lucky because we have a great chef at Arsenal so I’m fine!’
