FC BARCELONA FEMENÍ
Who are FC Barcelona Femení's best players?
Who to keep an eye on in the UWCL and upcoming Women’s World Cup.
With the closing stages of the UEFA Women’s Champions League upon us and the Women’s World Cup just around the corner, AS USA has decided to take a look at some of the most exciting players in what must be one of the most talented squads ever put together: FC Barcelona Femení.x
For years now, Barça have carved through every team in the domestic league without leaving a trace, simply swallowing them up and finishing last year’s league season not just unbeaten but with 30 wins out of 30, 90 points out of 90. In the Champions League, things didn’t end so well as their worst performance of the season coincided with Lyon’s best; as such, their continental rival swept up another European trophy for their increasingly large cabinet.
Who are FC Barcelona Femení's best players?
Aitana Bonmatí: It’s as difficult to describe Aitana as it is to catch a fly with one arm tied behind your back and the other being used to balance an egg on a spoon. But Aitana could probably do it all while keeping the ball in the air with her feet. I suppose the best way to express madness is by madness, which is what you have to do in order to describe a player that seemingly has no limits and can do whatever is required at any time of any game. You have to step into to the rabbit hole, go into their world, and come out absolutely confused and fascinated by everything you have witnessed.
Aitana has taken up the role of team leader at Barça while Alexia recovers from injury and she has done so without even blinking. Under normal circumstances, being the deputy to the two-time Ballon d’Or winner might fill someone with dread and anxiety, but Aitana has bottled it all up in her boots and used it to become the player we all hoped she would. She is excelling in the side and providing goals and assists as well as a leader’s attitude; players can trust Aitana, giving her to ball not only to relieve pressure when it hits but actually do something with it. And at just 25-years-old, who knows how high her ceiling is.
Mapi León: One hundred and seventy-one accurate passes in the final third is a lot when you take into consideration that there have only been 6 UEFA Women’s Champions League games so far this season. But what if I told you that Mapi León is a centre-back? The left-footed defender is one of Barcelona’s key creators, and she does it all from a central position in the defensive line. Mapi is the perfect defender: her timing off the ball is simply impeccable and rarely does an opposing attacker get near to the goal as she has normally cut the ball out before is reaches her rival. And in attack she is just as productive, taking free-kicks and corners with a deadly spin on the ball and more than not finding a teammate to score.
Mariona Caldentey: The great ‘what if’ over the past few seasons, Mariona’s Barça career has been plagued by injuries that have seen her time on the field cut down to agonisingly small amounts. The winger, when she is fit and firing, is genuinely one of Europe’s most dangerous players and possesses perhaps the best long-range shot on the continent. She can beat her opponent by using either foot and then play a cross or pass that slices through an entire defensive line. Her pace is not like that of Geyse but quick ball movement and fast feet allow her to slide past defenders and the freedom she is allowed in the Barça structure, coming in from the left to end up wherever she likes, is a testament to her talent and danger on the ball.
Fridolina Rolfö: Rolfö arrived in Spain from Wolsburg and has impressed greatly since she touched down on the peninsula. Her ability to adapt and play wherever needed, from left-back to right-wing is a huge bonus to a Barcelona side that has been without Mariona Caldentey for long periods of the campaign. In Europe is top of the list for Barcelona when it comes to key passes and big chances created. As well as this, she also has 3 goals in her last 2 league appearances for the side this season, meaning that her form is on the up as the World Cup approaches.
Geyse: Signed from Madrid CFF (not Real Madrid), the Brazilian forward has had no trouble in adapting to life at the top club in Spain. She currently leads the way for assists in the UWCL for Barça and her pace and power cause havoc in Spain and across Europe as she fires her way to the Women’s World Cup in the summer. And at just 24-years-old, like so many others in the Barça setup, the career ahead of her is set to be a stellar one.
So, in the Champions League this season, it is quite likely that FC Barcelona Femení put a claim in to be Europe’s best team, and the best thing of all is that we will get to enjoy some of their top players at this year’s World Cup all over again.
But there is an elephant in the room: it appears that the conversations between Spain’s football federation and ‘the 15’ [players who declared they did not want to be made available for selection] still have a long way to go. We shall see if the situation gets resolved in the near future, as we all want to see the best players on the biggest stage of them all.