Is 'magic' Caldentey Arsenal's key in Champions League final?

Mariona Caldentey was kissing the Women's Champions League trophy a twelvemonth ago, clutching the badge connected her thorax portion donning the bluish and reddish stripes of Barcelona, having won her 15th large trophy with the club.

Now she is preparing to look her erstwhile squad for the archetypal clip since leaving them past summertime to articulation Arsenal.

The Gunners volition effort to triumph a archetypal European rubric since 2007 successful Lisbon connected Saturday (17:00 BST) and it helps to person a prima successful their squad who lived and breathed opponents Barcelona for a decade.

Caldentey did not travel done Barcelona's younker ranks, but spent 10 seasons astatine the location of the defending European champions, scoring 114 goals successful 302 games.

There volition beryllium nary holding backmost successful Saturday's Champions League last though arsenic Caldentey hopes to spearhead Arsenal - the spot she present calls location - to success.

"I consciousness truly confident, I tin play my football, I tin bask it. I americium successful the close place. I americium wherever I privation to be," the Spain international, 29, said.

Can she headdress disconnected an awesome debut play for Arsenal with the eventual nine prize she became truthful accustomed to winning astatine Barcelona?

Caldentey arrived successful northbound London astatine a rocky clip for Arsenal successful July 2024 and immoderate successful Spain doubted if she had made the close decision.

Gunners fable Vivianne Miedema had been allowed to permission for rivals Manchester City weeks earlier and instrumentality unrest was gathering towards erstwhile brag Jonas Eidevall.

Pressure was connected Caldentey - a World Cup victor with Spain - to assistance usher Arsenal safely done a perchance treacherous Champions League qualification path.

But she did not instrumentality agelong to settee arsenic 10 months later, Caldentey was awarded the Women's Super League Player of the Season having scored 9 goals and assisted 5 successful 21 games.

It should not person travel arsenic a surprise.

"She was a important subordinate for Barca's style," Spanish writer Maria Tikas, who writes for nationalist paper Sport, told BBC Sport.

"The fans and media didn't worth her capable for however important she was. We ever said that she was similar magic.

"It was bittersweet she left, but I knew she was going to beryllium bully successful England. She truly showed rapidly the benignant of subordinate she was and present astatine an important infinitesimal of the play she has showed it again."

Caldentey's archetypal extremity came successful a 4-0 triumph implicit BK Hacken, sealing Arsenal's progression to the Champions League radical stages successful September.

The nine believed Caldentey could instrumentality them to the adjacent level when they signed her but she could not person predicted however awesome her archetypal play would be.

"Not astatine all. I didn't person immoderate expectation. I conscionable made my determination and went for it," said Caldentey.

"Everyone helped maine a batch from the archetypal time truthful it was benignant of casual to accommodate to the caller challenge. I've conscionable had amusive playing football."

"She's a full footballer. She's got everything," Arsenal manager Renee Slegers said of Caldentey earlier this season.

Her interaction was instant and transformative.

Arsenal went from a struggling broadside astatine the commencement of the play to a squad marching up the table, sealing 2nd spot successful the WSL and competing with Europe's elite.

Caldentey's relation was to beryllium the creator, linking up with WSL Golden Boot victor Alessia Russo and providing stardust from midfield.

"She's fixed america truthful much," Slegers added. "There are truthful galore things to accidental astir Mariona, due to the fact that she does truthful galore things truthful well. She has fixed america that adjacent level.

"Technically and tactically - her quality is truly precocious level. Her enactment ethic is unbelievable. You tin spot it successful games, but you tin spot it connected the grooming transportation arsenic well.

"Last but not least, she's a winner."

After Arsenal bushed Tottenham 5-0 astatine Emirates Stadium, a writer described Caldentey arsenic the conductor of an orchestra, with 8 legs similar an octopus.

The analogy amazed Slegers but she admitted it was a bully description.

Arsenal skipper Kim Little, who has played alongside Caldentey this season, said she has been "incredible" for the team.

"She came successful from Barcelona and had a large interaction connected the team, connected a idiosyncratic level and besides with however we play," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

There volition nary uncertainty beryllium mixed emotions for Caldentey erstwhile she faces Barcelona successful Lisbon.

She was "underrated" but "now yet appreciated" by those successful Spain, said Tikas, but volition she travel backmost to haunt them?

"When we talked to Barca players aft the semi-finals, they were truly blessed to look Mariona and said it volition beryllium truly peculiar for them," Tikas added.

"She knows however Barcelona play and however Arsenal tin harm Barcelona."

Caldentey has spoken to immoderate of the Barcelona players - they stay "close friends" aft each - but they person avoided speaking astir the final.

"We did speech immoderate messages but it is simply a spot weird truthful we didn't talk excessively overmuch astir [the game]," she added.

"I didn't archer them [we would win] but they cognize that is what I want!"

From Arsenal's perspective, they anticipation Caldentey's adjacent links with Barca volition springiness them an advantage.

"I did an interrogation with Aitana Bonmati the different time and mentioned Mariona," writer Alex Ibaceta told BBC Radio 5 Live. "She said we cognize the subordinate she is, we cognize what she is susceptible of.

"Mariona is going to beryllium cardinal successful letting the players cognize what disturbs Barcelona. If determination is 1 subordinate that is going to pb the pack, it's going to beryllium her. Arsenal person capable prime to beryllium capable to enactment retired a gameplan truthful Mariona tin springiness them the tips and tricks connected however to decision Barcelona."