Mariona Caldenti arrived at Arsenal in 2024, having previously spent a decade at Barcelona. The 29-year-old was arriving at the London club at the peak of his powers and has been successful for Arsenal.
This was reflected in his narrowly missing out on the 2025 Ballon d’Or. The Arsenal player finished second, beaten by her international teammate Etana Bonamati.
The pair have also played together for Barcelona, know each other well and have a healthy rivalry.
Mark It features a feature celebrating Mariona Caldenti, as she sets to achieve 100 caps for Spain. He spoke at length to the Arsenal player on a variety of topics and how he sees his career from here on out.
The Spanish newspaper specifically picked the Ballon d’Or runner-up and wanted to know if there was any disappointment at losing. The race for first place was very close and some people believe that the person finishing ahead may feel unlucky.
In response, the Arsenal star said: “No, not at all. Obviously, it’s a very important award that we would all love to win, but Aitana (Bonamati) took it after an incredible season. I was happy for her and congratulated her. In the end, these individual awards are tough in a team sport with diverse tastes. I’m happy to win the Champions League in my first year in England and get other individual awards. Not winning the Ballon d’Or doesn’t change how proud I am of that season.
“Of course, it is very difficult, but I feel very good at Arsenal and even more confident than last year. I hope it will happen again. And if not this year, then next year, when there will be a tournament with the national team.”
Why is future transfer not an immediate concern?
On his future and a possible return to Spain, Mariona Caldenti said: “It’s hard to think about the future. I’m happy, satisfied, enjoying a different league. I don’t know where I’ll finish my career, but I still hope to play for a long time.
“It’s true that in football, when you turn 30, the perception of a player changes, but I have examples like Irene (Paredes) and Kim (Little) who prove that age is just a number.”
Now Arsenal will hope to continue his pursuit of the Ballon d’Or with top performances for him and the Spain national team.
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