Football Daily - Mariona Caldentey meets Guillem Balague

Episode Date: April 25, 2026

Ahead of the Women’s Champions League semi-finals, Guillem Balague sits down with Spain and Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey, who is personally aiming going for a fourth consecutive UWCL win, and a fifth overall. Mariona gives us an insight into her childhood on the island of Mallorca, moving to Barcelona aged 18 and how she’s adapted since moving to Arsenal back in 2024.Plus, the pair look ahead to facing European giants Lyon in the semi-finals this season, just how much the Champions League means to her and of course discuss the growing rivalry in the women’s game that is Spain vs the Lionesses!Commentary of both legs of Arsenal’s semi-final against Lyon will be on 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds.TIMECODES: 00:46 - Mariona sits down with Guillem. 01:17 - Mariona tells us about her childhood in Felanitx, on the island of Mallorca. 06:40 - On joining Barcelona at 18 years old. 08:50 - On moving to Arsenal back in the summer of 2024 and how she’s adapted. 12:24 - On the recognition she achieved during her first season in England. 15:45 - On her club captain Kim Little and playing at the Emirates. 21:20 - Looking back on last year’s Champions League win. 22:40 - Looking ahead to this year’s Champions League semi-final against Lyon. 28:50 - On the developing rivalry between Spain and the Lionesses.

This is the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds. Welcome to a special edition of the Football Daily podcast. I'm Guillem Balaget and ahead of the women's champions league semifinals, I've had the pleasure of sitting down with Spain and Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldente. After a hugely successful first season at Arsenal, she's hoping to make the final with them again, just a small matter of eight-time winners Leon standing in their way. We spoke about everything from her childhood in Mayoka, moving from Barcelona,

to the WSL and, of course, the national team rivalry between, yes, England and Spain. You're listening to the Football Daily podcast from Five Life Sports. Mariana, have you spoken English since you arrived to England from two weeks with the national side? No, I haven't spoken in English yet, so it will be maybe a bit slow. We can do it in Spanish? Catalan? Yes, please. But if we're doing in Catalan, I wouldn't understand you.

Have you got a strong Mayorkan accent? I do, but I can speak Catalan as well. Oh, right. A Catalan accent. It's a beautiful accent, the Mayurban accent. You're from a village called Felanits. What is it like? I mean, it's actually a big town.

I think we have the name of city, but we just call it as a town. But it's, yeah, for me, it's the best place in the world. And is that near the sea in Mayoka? Yeah, we have Porto Colom, which is like another town, but it belongs to Felanich, so it's everything. It's Felonich, but that's like the port of where we have all the beaches. And have you got many squares to play football as a kid or not? I did. I mean, I didn't need much, to be honest.

I just play on the street, right, and the parks. Who gave you the first ball? That's a good question. I don't remember but I could say I have a older brother and he was always playing football so my guess would be I just probably

stole one of them or join them would you join them and play football with them would you? Yeah I did a lot with him and his friends but four years it's a big difference when you are a kid so it was a bit

hard but I still tried so what what would that football game be at that time for you? Well, I joined a football team when I was four or five, I think, and we played the 5B5. It was just really fun, and I made a lot of friends. And we actually were a quite decent team.

We were champions of Majorca and then champions of Spain, which was really big for a town team. So, yeah, we were successful when we were kids. So is that a girl's team or a mixed team? No, it was a mixed team, but I was the only girl in the whole league, basically. So you were the best player of the team of the league? I don't know. I was good, but I don't know if I was the best or not, to be honest. I don't think so. I think we had a pretty good team.

And everybody felt natural. Nobody looked at if you were a girl or if you were good or you all wanted to play with each other. That's how I felt as a team. Yeah, I think I was really lucky because, you know, we are from town, so sometimes that can be a bit, it's not like big city, like London or Barcelona, where maybe everything goes a bit more open quicker. But for me and for them, it was really natural. Like, even when we play away, I remember they were waiting outside the dressing room because we only had one dressing room. So I always was the first one to get changed. And then they came and they did it.

And then when we had to get shower, they always wait outside. And I was the first one. I was quick. I didn't make them to wait so long. But yeah, it was natural for us. And it felt really good, to be honest. And did you hear very often, give the ball to Mariana? I have a bad memory, if I'm honest.

Like, I don't remember a lot from that time. but I remember the opponents saying like, oh, they have a girl. And then after the game, say, well, the girl plays good football. That's a bit the comment I remember more. Sports psychologists say that when you are at that age, at some point somebody looks at you with big eyes

and saying, oh my God, you're very good. And very often you try to replicate that face on others. And that's what keeps you going when you first start, who would be the person that looked at you with those eyes and said, wow, you are good? Probably would say my dad. He was always on the football games and on trainings and on trainings. And he didn't really compliment me too much, but he wasn't hard on me either.

He just, like, enjoyed watching me and, yeah, just let me play. and I think that was a good feeling, like no pressure, no expectatives, like nothing, just a girl playing football and having fun. And at some point you have to join a girls' team, or what age would that be? Yeah, that was when I was 14 years old. Then it was a rule where you can't play anymore with the boys. That's a bit annoying. Yeah, I would say so because then I joined a girl team. but I was actually in the Cojerense,

that they were in the first league of Spain, but I was 14, so I was not allowed to play in the first league until I was 15. Then I had to play with the second team, which was a really low league. But then I actually did my ACL, so I was the whole year,

well, six, seven months without playing, and then when I recovered, I could join the first team, but then I was playing with women, of 30, 35 years old. For now, I don't think that's an old age, but in that moment I thought, wow, they are old. So I was enjoying playing with my generation

and people who has more things in common, and I think that was a big step. And you went to Barcelona when you were... 18. 18. And that was a Barcelona that started changing history for us. What was it like? Yeah, when I joined the team,

We weren't professional yet. They were successful winning already some leagues before I arrived, but it was not a professional, a professional team. And then, actually the second year, they changed it, and we became a professional. The league was not professional, but our team was. So, yeah, then everything started to improve so much for us, the facilities, staff, like travel, conditions, like salaries, everything.

So it was a really nice process because, yeah, in the start, we needed to bring our water from home. We needed to wash the clothes at home. And then it was just changed. I remember talking to Alexia Pudejas about that period and how she had to grow a conscience, as in she realized that she had to fight for a lot of things that. are given in men's football. There's so many stories. You mentioned some already.

You have to bring your own water. You do your own washing. But even later on, you were wearing men's clothes until somebody pointed out. It's like, come on. True. Yeah. It's funny because these things kind of, you forget these things, right? And yeah, or even like we didn't have our name on our jersey or even our numbers.

We just had it in the Champions League. because it was mandatory, but then on the league, because in Damasia is a rule, we play if you were starting, one to 11, and then if you were to the bench, 12 to 20. We didn't have our own numbers or names, so it was, yeah, so different. But then you ended up getting a lot of things that you needed and winning a lot as well, and you were one of many stars in that side. at what point you think like

I need to move on I need to go somewhere else I mean it's a hard question because I I mean I'm a Barza fan I I had a really great time there and it was a dream for me to be there but it was a hard time as well because I had a lot of injuries

on my hamstring then I lost my dad and it was really hard for me mentally and with that injury re-injury and then I was fit again and we won everything and then I thought you know what like now England football is actually growing so much after the

euros we played here and I don't know the moment I start to think about it but my last year of contract at middle season and stuff when I had to make a decision I thought maybe that's what I need now and it's the moment like our careers are so

short and I started to get older and it's really hard to explain but it was just a feeling that now it's the time and some of my closest friends in bursa were living as well and I think it was just a crazy decision in that moment probably when we were being successful I was playing a lot but now I can say that it was a good decision sorry to hear that that you dad passed away he was the person that as you said earlier saw you yeah but you're still looking isn't it he's still for sure for sure

so you get to you get to Arsenal and then on that first season people say you need to adapt to things that your body needs to adapt your mind needs to adapt it's a new language new culture but since Sam's like

you were all right yeah it's actually a lot of things right people just think oh you change club no but you change your whole life and the culture, language, the way you play football, the style, everything changed, the teammates, your friends around, your family are not next to you anymore, the sun is not here, the food is different, and it's a lot of things, like you need to adapt, and it was harder for the

first months, but everyone helped me so much as well and made it easy for me, and yeah, then it just click and it's worked. So it was a great season. And the years of Fife Side, where you played in different positions, meant that when you came to Arsenal and they asked you to play differently, you managed to adapt, no? What was the transition into new roles? For me, I have always been playing around and changing position.

Like my last year in Bars, I played as a striker, as a number nine, a fake nine, of course, but I was never a striker before, and the last season I was nine. and now I'm playing almost the six, so it's a big change. But I just love football. I think I understand how the game goes, and that, yeah, I just want to be on the ball and make the tempo bit of the game

and, yeah, changing position, but the role was similar. So I needed time. I needed to work a lot on my defensive side because that was different. But, yeah, you know, when you are in that flow, and it's working and that's how we entered the season last year. I heard you say that you're just training, playing, whatever, success, blah, blah. And then at the end, you start getting the accolades and the awards, the individual awards.

Oh, all right, we must have done well. Did it really feel like that? Yeah, it's like when you are in the rhythm of the season, you don't really think about that thing. You just go game to game, and it's every three games. You don't really have time. Football goes so quit for good and bad. like what you did yesterday, it's gone already. So, yeah, I didn't expect it, to be honest.

I was happy with my performance. I was happy with myself, how everything went, but I didn't expect all that trophies, and it was nice. Very nice. Second in the ball and door, that must have been something else. It was special, yeah, it was really nice. You got a picture of the night somewhere in your wall in your house? No.

No, no. No, I will someday probably, but not yet. One of the rich things of actually going to another country is that you absorb the culture without even realizing. But I guess the other way, it also works. So have you introduced any traditions, Spanish traditions, into the changing rooms? I could say we play some music in Spanish at the girls' love.

Rosalia? Rosalia, bad bunny. Yeah, a bit of everything. Godi choose more. more than made the music, to be honest. And we just teach some Spanish words to them that we always joke. Like, I don't know if I will speak good English, but for sure some of you will speak better Spanish. So, yeah, I think Spain and Spanish is an interesting culture.

Like, everyone wants to know and everyone wants to learn. So it's easy for the girls. Talking about bringing things. Have you brought a piano yet? I actually bought a new one. like some months ago, but haven't played that much. Who taught you piano, play piano? My grandmother.

Yeah, when I was a kid and I went to have lunch at her house every day between the school and she just teach me, but I have no idea, like, about music. I just play. Was she a teacher or she played the piano? No, but she was just really good on the piano and she had one piano at home. And I think, you know, all of us, my cousins, the boys all of them play football and the two girls are younger than me

and music was not really in us and I think my grandma was a bit sad with that everyone just with the sport and no one is into music so I think she tried a bit with everyone and with me work a bit you're listening to the Football Daily podcast from Five Life Sports Five Life Sports

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Listen on BBC Sounds. This is the Football Daily podcast from Five Life Sports. Let's come back to the changing room where you are now. Anybody that really surprised you that you thought, I didn't know you were like this positively. Wow, it's like, didn't expect you to be this good or didn't expect it to be this leader

or didn't expect it to be so important? No, if I'm honest, I didn't have any expectations because personally I didn't know that much teammates before I joined Arsenal. But I could say with, with Kim. She's a different leader. I think she's quiet

and she's so calm and relaxed, but she's unique in the way she leads the team and in the beginning I was a bit like, she's the captain and she's a bit quiet, right?

But then, yeah, everyone just respect her so much and she does her job in a different way, maybe what I was used for a captain, but she surprised me, but I think she's, Yeah, she's a big leader for us.

She sounds like somebody else a little bit. I wish. The quietness, no? The hobbleness. Yeah, she's even quiet than me, I would say. One of the things that you must have been surprised, pleasantly surprised, the fact that the stadium gets full, that you play in the Emirates, and what's that like?

No, it's crazy. I remember the first times I went there, like, was so emotional. I had gospel. Now it's funny because now it's just normal. So you just get used to the good thing so quick. And now going to the Emirates and playing in front of almost full stadium every game, it's almost our new normal thing, you know, and it shouldn't because it's not normal what we have here in Arsenal.

But it's something really special from the club. And it sounds from the outside that it is a special club. this being one of the reasons, the atmosphere that gets created in the games, how they treated you and your team. Would you say that that's the case? Yeah, 100%. I think the culture in the club, like the Arsenal way, how we want to play, how we want to connect with the fans, with the community.

I think the club works a lot in that small things out of the pitch, and I think that's what makes Arsenal really special. That attraction to Arsenal, but also to the league, has brought more and more Spaniards this way. What do you think we add to the league and to the teams? I think technically Spanish players are, it's probably like the biggest thing we have. Because probably that five against five we play when we are young or I don't know, but the Tiki-Taka style we try to play in Spain. I think that's what can be.

different for us with the rest of the world. It's just that you may want to do that, but when it's box to box, you have to have a common ground. Have you, you know, do you have to work at that, no? Yeah, I think I always had it in me as well. I actually was a centre back until I was 13 or 14 years old, so yeah, of course you have to improve and you have to learn, but I think these things make you better player, so I was happy to

train it and to improve and then for sure it will help me so it will help the team you notice it when you go back to the national site that there's been a jump perhaps even in recognition from your teammates maybe no like I always felt they

they really respected me and they they support me and they evaluate me so now it's different it's just like we are so happy to see each other because before we we had each other every day and now it's like when we see each other after

one month or two months it's really exciting but the football way like we have been playing together for really long so we know each other we know what we can offer we know we help each other to be better and that hasn't changed at all but my perception of it is that you bigger

that somehow the team has turned a little bit more towards you that you want the ball a bit more that perhaps you offer a little bit a different rhythm, would that be right? I don't know. I mean, I think it gave me confident for sure because, yeah, it was something different. And how I said in Spain, we have a really clear way that we want to play. And I feel that when we go back to the national team, but I know now I'm ready to play another game if it's what we need.

and I know for example my Barsa friends they attack the whole time they dominate the whole time so they don't really feel comfortable when they don't have to ball and that's how I felt when I arrived here and I think that's something I had to learn like it's fine sometimes you

defend more sometimes you don't have the ball sometimes whatever and I think that was a bit frustrating for me at some points and now with the time I still want to attack the whole time and have to ball but sometimes it has to be okay like that as well and that's maybe the difference I feel when I'm back to Spain.

It's a good thing to add to your armour. You helped Arsenal with the first European title in 18 years. What do you think the fans won more? The Premier League or being historic in Europe as you've been at the moment? I guess if we ask them, they will probably say both. If we don't have to choose, we want to win everything. But yeah, it was really special for the club, how you said. It was a long, long time ago.

But, I mean, I want to win Premier League as well, and I hope it will come. That final was against Barcelona, but I felt a bit strange. It was really weird. It was a lot of feelings. I'm normally not nervous about football games, even if it's finals. But this day was special. At half time, did you went to the right changing room?

Of course, I did. I was just in my head I would like to say hi to the girls before the game starts. Then it's done. But it didn't happen because we arrived earlier, then they arrived late.

It didn't work. And then it was just in the tunnel the first time I saw them. So it was a bit strange. But I mean, it's football. Then once we start to play, you just focus on your team on your mission and then you try to forget a bit about everything else.

Who knows? It may be a similar final, but before that you got Leon and what you see in the game? I mean, it was last year with the extraordinary comeback. You don't need a comeback. You don't want to need a comeback. No, exactly. I have a lot of respect for Leon because it has been a big opponent for a lot, a lot of years. In Barcelona, we couldn't beat them for long. I have my biggest respect for them. They have a really strong team and now they have a Spanish coach and some Spanish staff that I know really well

that I know they are really, really good staff and I believe that they are going to make that team better for sure. So if you have good players and you have a good coach, that's a dangerous combination to have. Is it fair to say that the four teams in the semifinals are the four teams, the four best teams in Europe, not only in the competition. It is because it's the four team who made it, but it's cool because it's one team from each big league in four different countries.

So it will be interesting semifinals, for sure. All of us want to be in that final in Oslo, so it will be hard. That goal against Leon that you scored must have been one of your favorites, perhaps? Yeah, I was always like the coaches and team guys, you need to shoot more, you always look for the past, you need to finish more. And I agree, I don't feel like I must a goal scorer, a killer or something like that. So I don't really have the goal on my mind in that way. So I think I have to finish more because then sometimes work like that and feel really good. So it was a really big goal.

It was on the edge of the box, control with the right, and then you saw the chance to shoot, and that just went top right corner. Goalkeeper didn't even move. It just felt. From the moment you hit it and you must have go like, yeah, that's going in.

It feels good. You know, when it's going in, yeah, it was a strong shot that I think that's why the goalkeeper couldn't react. And there was a lot of people in front. So yeah, you have to try if you want to score for sure if you don't show you want to score. And it feels like now you hit the right form that these shots may just go in because you all seem to be in the flow.

Most of the players seem to be in a good form at the moment at Arsenal. Yeah, I think the start of the season was a bit inconsistently from us. And yeah, we had some draws in the league and we lost in the championship. Champions League phase, but I think since Christmas we have, yeah, I don't know, everything, it's just in the flow, how you say it's working and we are in a good place. So hopefully we can now we are back from national teams, so we need to reconnect again and recharge with each other. But I think we are in a good momentum and we'll try to use that in that semifinals.

I think if I ask any of your teammates in a moment of difficulty, who would you give them? ball too. I think I know the answer. But who is it for you that will actually be looking for a solution? I think we have different profiles. You know, if, for example, we have a space in the back. I know Stina or Caitlin, they will win every duel and every every ball in there. And then if it has to be a bit more on the feet, to protect, you know, have less. It's just so hard to give the ball away. again with Kim. It's really good how she protect the ball with the body. You can see she barely lose the ball.

So I think it depends a bit what we want. But we have a lot of different profiles that give a lot to us. This season you're doing very well in the Champions League. We already talked about the accolades and the individual trophies last year. But this year is also working very well for you too. Yeah, I think Champions League, like, it's just a special competition and it's not a long tournament. You just have to be good that day at that time. And I think that's what we are good at.

Sometimes we have a bit of that lack of consistently, but I think then the days we have to be ready. We are ready and I hope it goes the same way this year. And actually, to win the Champions League, all you have to do is to, to put a mariona in the team. You just keep winning it. No, I think that's a bit unfair with all the Leon players that they have won like eight times

the Champions League, so that's... But you've won it four times. Four times? I've won it four times with two different teams with I mean, it's something really big and I'm really proud of it, but some players are still like double than that.

But it's the dream, isn't it, for any player? Yeah. I think champions like it's just so special for everyone and it's so hard to win because every big team wants to win it so of course it's a big

challenge and how I said you have one bad day and you might be out and with that Leon times where they dominate parsa time they dominate like it was hard for other teams to be there and I think now it's

it's really close and everyone can win it and everyone is ready to perform and that high level. So you haven't trained yet since you came back from? No. Okay, so obviously there's going to be talk about the defeat against England. And also I have to let you go soon

because you have to get to the, what is it, the video analysis? Yes. And if you're late, what happens? I have to sing. So I don't want to sing. You can sing Bergen from Rosalia. I can't sing. But yeah, so they'll be talk about,

It's the rivalry of our times, isn't it? England and Spain. There's something wonderful about it for people like you and me who live here and who want to beat England. But it's a healthy rivalry, you say? For me, yes, because of course I know both sides. I know for other situations.

It's maybe a bit different. I mean, we lost, but it's not done yet. We need to have the second game at home. it's nothing definitely yet so we don't need to we can't speak about that yet because it's not done we all know that that is not done but by saying it like that it's like calm down calm down woman is not done yet is that what you're going to be saying in 10 minutes yeah you know what i don't think the girls will say much about that game all right because it's already gone you know and it's lovely to play spain england because i think i think

is one of the best games you can have and we enjoy to play against each other but we don't enjoy it you know but I mean the girls are so respectful in that sense maybe Beth will make some jokes about it but I would say like it's not done yet

so having won and lost and won and lost in finals with with them it still feels like he hasn't turned into a I don't want to say the word toxic but like a hard rivalry he still feels like it's a sporting competition with people that you know with and in some cases colleagues of so that's that's the

feeling of it still yeah and I think like all the games we have played the difference in goals it have been just one goal down or up but it has always been so tight so I think that we know that Spain knows that England know that so it's it's just equal games every time I think last time we didn't have a good game but we were still close I think we could have a score, we deserve maybe a draw. But then some game didn't play that well and they still managed to win. And it's a bit that the winning mentality both teams has.

I thank you for winning the World Cup because every time I hear, we win the Euros, we win the World Cup. Yeah, then you take the Euros. Exactly, we have the World Cup. So you're playing the return of that fixture in the group stage in Somoche. and so how many of you people are going to be there?

Everybody. A lot. A lot. Like I haven't played in Spain in Majorca, sorry, for 12 years maybe. So it's like everyone is so excited about it and me too for sure. Do you think you'll be close to field the stadium or? I hope that. I think we are for Majorca and girls in the Spanish national team normally.

I think there are a lot of people waiting to see us playing because they don't really have the chance normally and even for the rest of the girls like that big names we have. It's on Friday, it's in June, I think it's perfect. So I hope people will be there with us. You're going to beat the average attendance of Majorca Football Club because it's England,

because it's an important game because you want to win possibly more than one goal so then you just don't have to play the playoffs. So good look with it. And it's been a pleasure talking to you, Mariana. Thank you so much. Fantastic to sit down with Mariona there. I think you can hear, you can certainly see this humbleness there,

but also the fire of a competitor. Little by little, he's becoming the leader of Spain and Arsenal. And it's wonderful to see. So don't forget, live commentary of Arsenal, Leon, in the Women's Champions, six semifinals is on BBC Sounds and you can watch it on BBC 2 as well. See you next time.

5 live sports. BBC Women's Football Weekly The latest news, insights and analysis from across the women's game. Dame Serena Vigman, welcome to the book. Are we including Dame in your title now? You know how much an honour that is? You want to play in a way that

they can show their skills so that's what we're trying to do. Win the World Cup. It's a dream. Listen. See Sounds App.