Mariona: I wouldn’t celebrate scoring against Barcelona | OneFootball

In her first season at Arsenal, Mariona Caldentey reflects on loyalty, language, legacy and what might happen if the Champions League final brings old ties into direct conflict.

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Mariona Caldentey has said she would not celebrate if she scored against Barcelona, her former club of 10 years, should Arsenal meet them in the Champions League final in Lisbon.

“I wouldn’t celebrate scoring a goal against Barça. I don’t think it would come out of me,” she told La Vanguardia ahead of the second leg of Arsenal’s semi-final against Lyon.

Now 29, Caldentey left Barcelona last summer in search of a new challenge. “Leaving Barcelona for London was a real challenge. I approached it as a year of adaptation, and it’s gone by very quickly,” she said.

The early part of the season was difficult, both for her and the club. “It’s true that we started the year a bit up and down. We dropped quite a few points in the league. But since the coaching change, the team has been strong.”

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She speaks openly about the challenges of relocating, from language to weather to the day-to-day culture shift. “I struggled with English. There are so many accents and everyone has their own expressions, but you speak it every day and that helps. This week I did my first press conference. I’ve also done a few interviews and started going to English classes.”

On life behind the wheel: “You get used to driving on the other side pretty quickly. But in the first few days I blew a tyre on the curb… (laughs).” But the hardest part? “Without a doubt, the winter and the food. I used to ask all my friends and family to bring me ham. Now, with the new Brexit law, they can’t.”

The move meant leaving behind her family and familiarity, but she was clear about her priorities. “At first I was open to discussing it with my mum and my brother. But it’s your job and it’s your life. So there came a point when I just told them: I’ll let you know. Obviously, for my mum, having me in Barcelona was perfect. It’s half an hour by plane from Mallorca. But family just want you to be happy.”

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Asked about the possibility of facing Barcelona in the final, she said: “I don’t know how I’d feel playing against them in Lisbon, but I’d sign for that right now.” Despite the distance, she still follows her former club. “Yes. At first it felt a bit strange. Even now. But I like watching them, I want them to do well.”

Her role at Arsenal is different from the one she played in Barcelona. “I’m in a new team, with a different playing style and different teammates. I’m playing in a different position, in a more central role. Everything is more even and that helps me improve.”

Reflecting on the upcoming second leg against Lyon, she said: “The trauma I might have had I got over last year when we beat them with Barça in San Mamés. Obviously, I have a lot of respect. I’ve suffered against them. But we have what it takes to come back.”

Off the pitch, Caldentey is also celebrating following the release of her book Mariona Caldentey: Cómo hemos cambiado la historia. “It wasn’t my idea. I thought, ‘What am I going to talk about?’ The publisher (Cossetania) got in touch with my agent, Carlota Plana, and she suggested Laia Coll (a journalist at RAC1) as co-author. Laia made it very easy for me.”

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The book touches on the loss of her father, who played a central role in her football journey. “My dad left us sooner than we would’ve liked. He was the one who made me feel the passion for football. He took me to training and, like my mum, never missed a match.”

She also speaks candidly about mental health, something she began addressing during one of the most turbulent periods of her career. “I started going to a psychologist when everything with the national team happened, which coincided with a time when I was dealing with a lot of injuries. It helped me.”

Asked what she has learned, she said: “We’ve helped bring about a broader social change for women in general and in women’s football in particular. I’ve also learned that success has to be worked for. These have been years of resilience. We have to prove ourselves in order to be supported, not the other way around. That’s just how it is for us. And we’ll keep working.”