The Making Of Spain And Arsenal's Humble Magician

"I don't retrieve my life without football."

For arsenic agelong arsenic Mariona Caldentey tin remember, she had dreams of playing connected nan biggest stages and winning nan biggest prizes.

She became a world champion pinch Spain successful 2023 and has won 4 Champions League titles pinch Barcelona and Arsenal.

Now nan 29-year-old midfielder is 1 of nan nominees for nan Ballon d'Or aft a dream debut play successful nan Women's Super League.

From humble beginnings successful a agrarian municipality to nan spotlights of football, this is Caldentey's journey.

Caldentey grew up successful nan mini municipality of Felanitx, connected nan land of Mallorca.

She was adjacent to her older relative and her cousins and they played shot together astatine her grandmother's location arsenic a child.

At nan property of four, Caldentey joined nan section shot squad - an after-school futsal nine successful Manacor.

She was nan only woman connected nan squad but enjoyed immense success, winning aggregate titles, including nan Spanish Futsal Championships.

"Football was ever astir maine because of my family," Caldentey told BBC Sport.

"My older relative played, my dada was a coach - he was nan president of a nine [CE Felanitx] and played earlier that - and my grandfather and cousins played arsenic well.

"I grew up successful that situation and cipher told maine it was conscionable for men. I ever felt supported. I was lucky.

"[Futsal was] really I started. That's rather emblematic successful Spain erstwhile you are a kid. I started to harvester 11-a-side pinch five-a-side because I loved it truthful much. I did some for years."

When Caldentey's talents became clear astatine nan property of 14, she joined a master women's squad - El Collerense - who played successful nan Spanish first division.

In her 2nd training session, she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) wounded and almost considered quitting - a infinitesimal she often looks backmost connected now.

But a twelvemonth later, she made her debut successful nan Copa de la Reina and soon caught nan oculus of Spain's astir prestigious clubs.

Like galore successful Spain, she shared a heavy emotion for Barcelona but they did not create a master women's conception until 2015.

It meant she missed retired connected an acquisition astatine La Masia - Barcelona's younker academy - but Barcelona was successful her humor and aft graduating from assemblage pinch a masters grade successful wounded rehabilitation, she joined nan nine successful nan summertime of 2014.

"When I was playing successful my municipality it was easy but erstwhile I sewage older my parents had to thrust maine 1 hr from home," said Caldentey.

"Collerense were my first women's team. I didn't person nan licence to thrust and nan nine couldn't connection maine a driver, truthful my family had to support maine pinch training.

"We trained astatine 8pm truthful arrived location astatine 11pm. In nan infinitesimal you didn't realise but now erstwhile I deliberation astir it, I was truthful fortunate that my family supported maine pinch nary reward. I loved what I did and they supported me."

Caldentey's enslaved pinch her family and location municipality remains strong.

Felanitx municipality hallway has a plaque successful honour of Caldentey and nan section futsal transportation is named aft her - nan Camp de Futbol Es Torrento Mariona Caldentey Oliver.

But nan family suffered condolences erstwhile Caldentey mislaid her begetter Miguel Angel abruptly successful 2018, 2 days earlier she joined up pinch nan Spanish nationalist team, while her grandma died past twelvemonth pursuing her move to Arsenal.

Her father's decease deed difficult but she vowed to execute occurrence successful his memory. She represented Spain days aft his ceremonial and went connected to triumph 14 awesome trophies pinch his beloved nine Barcelona, wherever he was a season-ticket holder.

"It was sad for my dada because he was pursuing and supporting maine erstwhile we had nary fans, successful nan rain, and successful bad conditions," said Caldentey.

"Now we person nan champion [facilities] astir us, play successful nan large stadiums, person each nan fans and he missed that. It's a spot sad.

"He didn't spot maine play successful a Champions League final. The twelvemonth we made nan first last he passed distant successful November. He missed nan successful part.

"My relative and my mum tin still bask that travel pinch me. But lately, I deliberation much astir him.

"When I was playing arsenic a guardant he ever told me, 'You will extremity up playing much successful midfield'. He was right! It's benignant of funny."

Her grandma taught her to play nan soft erstwhile she was younger and Caldentey had a keyboard pinch her successful Barcelona to proceed practising.

She has fto her philharmonic talents gaffe but Caldentey intends to prime it up again now she has settled successful astatine Arsenal.

"Sometimes [my grandma] played and I had to do nan aforesaid arsenic her. In nan beginning, my grandma was sad because nary of america were progressive successful music, we were much into sports.

"I would for illustration to really cognize astir music. I for illustration erstwhile you tin study thing and get amended astatine it. I tin play immoderate songs but I americium not good. I would emotion astatine immoderate constituent successful my life to person lessons."

Those adjacent to Caldentey opportunity she defines her winning mentality by "always wanting a small more".

She put those words into action during her 10-year profession astatine Barcelona, enjoying 2 Treble-winning seasons and clinching 3 Champions League titles.

In total, she scored 115 goals successful 303 appearances.

In Spain, they comparison her to Andres Iniesta - a legendary number 8 for Barcelona. Caldentey now wears nan aforesaid number for Arsenal.

"It's a large honour. I grew up watching a batch of nan Barca procreation erstwhile it was Messi, Xavi, Iniesta. I loved that team," said Caldentey.

"I watched them being really successful and playing nan astir beautiful football. I conscionable emotion that benignant of football."

So instilled successful nan Barcelona way, fewer could person imagined that Caldentey would 1 time take to time off her puerility nine successful hunt of a caller challenge.

"In nan opening erstwhile I was reasoning astir leaving, I was benignant of sharing a spot of everything, my thoughts and my process pinch my mum and my brother," she added.

"But astatine 1 constituent I needed to extremity doing that because it was a spot of a rollercoaster. One time you deliberation 1 thing, past you change. At nan end, it's a individual decision.

"I stopped sharing and said, 'I will show you erstwhile I americium clear because it's my decision'.

"My mum wants to person maine person truthful coming to London is harder. She can't speak English and she can't alert unsocial because she is simply a spot scared.

"My relative is besides a large instrumentality of Barca. But successful nan extremity they wanted to spot maine happier truthful they supported me, aforesaid arsenic my friends."

It did not return agelong for Caldentey to settee successful England - she was named nan PFA Player of nan Year and WSL Player of nan Season.

She scored 19 goals successful 41 appearances successful each competitions and helped Arsenal triumph a first European title successful 18 years.

England skipper Leah Williamson described "watching her magic" and said she "loved being her team-mate" aft building an instant bond.

Caldentey's biggest situation was learning English and though she was helped by Spanish team-mate Laia Codina, she besides had connection lessons via nan club.

"Now I americium much assured to speak. I dream I will get amended but it's astonishing erstwhile you tin study different connection and really different civilization goes," said Caldentey.

"It was a spot difficult successful nan opening - settling into a caller house, to thrust connected nan different broadside of nan road, getting a a caller car - and mini things for illustration a caller telephone number and nan wi-fi! It looks for illustration it's easy to move but you ever person thing to do.

"It's a spot stressful but I was fortunate that [Codina] was already present truthful she helped maine a lot. My life is different now to what it was successful Barcelona but I americium enjoying it."

Caldentey watches shot matches pinch English commentary to thief her understand words her team-mates mightiness usage connected nan pitch.

But sometimes she needs a break from learning.

"If I watch a movie aliases a [TV] bid past you cognize what, I merit Spanish! It's a spot tiring. I emotion thrillers and crime [dramas]," said Caldentey.

"In English, it's difficult for maine to follow. Last twelvemonth we went to nan cinema to watch Mufasa. It's a kids' movie truthful that's easy to understand. If it's a thriller, I can't make it yet!"

Caldentey is besides school her team-mates immoderate Spanish erstwhile she can.

"I said to nan girls, 'I will time off England immoderate time and I don't cognize really my English will beryllium but I americium judge each of you will cognize a spot of Spanish'.

"It's a connection everyone wants to learn. They are willing and it's nice. The American ones - [Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger] - are nan best."

Despite each of Caldentey's success, she appears a small awkward and very humble - she does not activity retired nan limelight.

In her ain words, she is simply a "simple person" who conscionable "loves to person fun".

Arsenal head Renee Slegers told BBC Sport: "She has a humbleness complete her. That intends for her it is conscionable [about] difficult work.

"She grew up playing for Barcelona and was portion of their journey. She knows really difficult it is to triumph worldly and that is what she brought to us.

"She does not return things for granted. They do not travel easy. She understands that really good and it's infectious."

Former Spain coach Montse Tome said this twelvemonth that Caldentey was "capable of speaking and being listened to" and her activity qualities are growing.

Her position successful world shot has elevated and she is 1 of nan favourites to triumph nan Ballon d'Or alongside immoderate of her Spanish and Arsenal team-mates.

"I play shot because I emotion to beryllium successful a team. It's a squad athletics truthful I don't put myself successful that conversation. I conscionable want to play shot and person fun," said Caldentey.

"I cognize erstwhile I bask it, it's amended for my shot and past it's amended for nan team. If nan squad is successful past it will beryllium better.

"I americium rather simple. I emotion [to] laugh, I emotion [to be] positive, I emotion to beryllium astir group and conscionable person a bully time. I americium calm successful that sense.

"Sometimes I get a spot angry and irritated connected nan transportation because I americium competitory and want to win.

"But disconnected nan pitch, location is thing excessively typical to say. I'm conscionable a normal girl. Life is amended location [out of nan limelight]."