Mariona from Champions

Barça’s victory is an important triumph of the chorus, the greatness of a team that plays by memory and always puts its individuals at the service of the team. However, this Queen’s Cup allows for personal highlights. Surprisingly, in a squad with two Ballon d’Or winners like Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas, La Romareda paid attention to a very shared role: the final left an inevitable air of tribute to the careers of Sandra Paños and Marta Torrejón, the goalkeeper re-owned the captain’s armband during his farewell to the club with his 17th title and the versatile footballer who proves on the pitch his status as the queen of the tournament, with 11 Cups . He also highlighted Salma Paralluelo’s desire to succeed at home, her native Zaragoza, with a display of ambition and determination and her 32nd goal of the season. Ona Batlle and Graham Hansen shined in their finishing role, with two doubles. And, above all, the final crowned Mariona Caldentey, with her two goals and three assists, as MVP before the 25,617 spectators who attended the umpteenth recital of a great team sitting on the last step to consider itself this hegemonic: beat Olympique de Lyon a finals of the Champions League.

Next Saturday, in San Mamés, he will return to the European charge against his bête noire, that OL who is also showing muscle by winning his 17th French League in 18 years. That will, no doubt, be the final of finals.

“We already have 3, we lack 1,” was the first thing Caldentey said while on the pitch, referring to the League, Super Cup and Cup titles missing the third Champions League, the first against OL. And even if the 8-0 against Real doesn’t serve as a ‘pre-OL’ test in football, it shows the mettle of a Barça that can never, ever have enough.