How Spain's quiet superstar, Mariona Caldentey, stepped out of the shadows

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 now is to win the Euros, a trophy [Spain] have never won. That's the focus."

Being in the debate alone is new ground for Caldentey, who was often in the background at Barça as Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí scooped the individual prizes. Teammates past and present have characterised her as discrete off the pitch and someone who is happy to function in silence on it.

"She's maybe not someone who is always highlighted, but I always say players like her and Patri [Guijarro] work in the shadows," Barça and Spain forward Clàudia Pina tells ESPN. "They are essential to this team and we would not be the same side without them. She's such an important player."

She is also a more rounded player since joining Arsenal where a deeper midfield role, in contrast to playing wide for Spain, and a new style of play has evolved her game.

"Apart from a new position I had not played before, more defensive, it's a more direct style, more transitions, box-to-box," Caldentey says of her experience in England. "You learn how to defend in deeper areas. That also helps with bringing the ball forward. My role has changed slightly, but I try to play my game, which serves me well and makes me feel comfortable.

"Since the first day I got there I've felt valued. And, honestly, having your work recognised is amazing, but what's really important is winning team trophies. Obviously, if individually you're doing well, that's also better for the team."

The transfer to Arsenal has also added to a renewed "excitement" when linking up with Spain. That now represents a chance to catch up with former teammates Putellas, Bonmatí and Guijarro, players she's played with for club and country since she was a teenager.

That chemistry between the players marks Spain out as the favourites in Switzerland. There are 11 Barça players in the squad, plus Caldentey, and when the combination play clicks, they effectively play like a club team as opposed to an international side.

"I think having that base of players that have grown at the same club gives you an advantage," adds Caldentey, who is now one of Spain's captains and has scored 30 times in 92 appearances for her country.

After racking up 14 goals in their three games so far, Spain now turn their attention to hosts Switzerland. La Roja have never made a Euros semifinal previously and a raucous home crowd awaits them at the Wankdorf Stadium, but it is the sort of atmosphere Caldentey relishes.

"I've seen a lot of videos of how the country is getting behind Switzerland," she says. "It's special to see. It's going to be tough with the whole stadium supporting them. It's a huge plus for them, but we're also going to play into that. It's always a huge motivational factor playing in an atmosphere like that and a noisy stadium."

Down the line, a potential final against England -- and Arsenal teammates Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Alessia Russo -- could await. It would represent a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final, which Spain won, and while Caldentey is not looking beyond the last eight, she is following the Lionesses when she can.

"There's been the odd, short message on Instagram with Leah, Beth and [Alessia], but not much, we're all focused on ourselves," she says. "England had that tough first game, but France are a dangerous, strong side. England won the last Euros and made the World Cup final. That's not chance. They're a top team."

Winning the Euros would complete a remarkable five-year period for Caldentey: she's won four Champions Leagues with two different clubs, a World Cup with Spain and been part of a Barça side that shattered the attendance record in women's football when 91,648 people crammed into Camp Nou to watch them beat Wolfsburg in 2022.

It's no wonder the smile rarely drops off Caldentey's face as she speaks. It is the smile of the young girl from the island of Mallorca, enjoying everything that's coming her way. But it does hide one regret: that her dad has not been here to witness her biggest triumphs.

Miquel Àngel Caldentey was a well-known face in the football community in Mallorca as a player, a coach and then a club president. Unexpectedly at the age of 55, he died of a heart attack in 2018. He was the reason his daughter started playing football and is still a major source of inspiration as she hunts down more silverware in Switzerland.

"I started to play football because of my dad," she says. "My brother played, too. My passion for the game comes from them; from my mum, too. My parents made a huge effort to take me all over [playing football].

"My dad took me to pitches with no stands, bad playing surfaces... there were a lot of hours spent in the car. It's sad that now we are playing in packed stadiums and winning trophies, he hasn't been able to see it. It's really sad, but I am really lucky to have the family I have and everything [I do] is always for them."