How Spain's quiet superstar Caldentey stepped out of the shadows - ESPN

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — For so much of Mariona Caldentey's career the Spain forward has operated in the shadows, but the risky decision to swap Barcelona for Arsenal last summer has thrust her into the spotlight.

It would have been easy to stay at Barça, where she won 25 trophies including three Champions Leagues, played 302 games and scored 114 goals during 10 years with the club. But the 29-year-old felt the urge to try something new.

A year on, she has helped Arsenal claim a first Champions League trophy since 2007 — winning her third in a row in the process by beating her former team in the final — been named the Women's Super League's Player of the Year, and now she is part of a Spain side fighting for their first European Championship in Switzerland.

«It may have seemed like a mad [decision] at the time, but it was what I wanted, a different challenge,» she tells ESPN from Spain's base in Lausanne, where she is preparing for Friday's quarterfinal against the hosts in Bern. «It was about stepping out of my comfort zone. Playing in England, for a club like Arsenal, massively excited me. I thought I could grow and discover more about myself, professionally and personally.»

Caldentey did not leave Barça seeking more attention, but she's found it. She scored one goal and provided two assists as Spain won all three of their Group B games. If she plays a significant role in any potential success at Euro 2025 then the Ballon d'Or talk, which has already started, will inevitably ramp up.

«Just the fact my name is mentioned in the conversation [for the Ballon d'Or] is already a massive source of pride,» she says. «But there are really good players around, so we will see what happens.

»What interests me and what I want right