Could Clàudia Pina be Barça’s gamechanger after years in Caldentey’s shadow? | OneFootball

There has always been something mesmerising about Clàudia Pina. The Montcada i Reixac native has spent more than a decade learning the Barcelona way – and now, as Barça approach their fifth consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League final, she’s poised to be the difference maker.

Those familiar with her story know that Pina is a talent who must be seen to be believed. As a youngster, she scored a staggering 100 goals in 20 games for Barça’s Alevín team, having caught the eye of a scout who’d been sent to watch one of her Espanyol teammates.

Despite heading into the showpiece finale as the tournament’s leading goalscorer, Pina is yet to have nailed down a regular starting berth under Pere Romeu. She’s hovered just outside the spotlight that has been cast on this Barça side in recent years – and despite her exploits in front of goal and her ability to change the narrative of the match with the click of her fingers, the 23-year-old still looks to be carving out her place rather than commanding it.

It’s in Lisbon that some of the questions about Pina’s opportunities and the trust placed in her by Pere Romeu could be answered. Barça’s opponents are an Arsenal side who have found form under Renée Slegers, with the Gunners able to pose a threat from every area of the pitch – not least through Mariona Caldentey, who knows the Blaugrana inside-out after spending a decade at the club before heading to North London last summer.

The storyline behind Caldentey’s reunion is undoubtedly one of the key narratives heading into Saturday’s final at the Estadio José Alvalade – but what’s less frequently talked about is Pina’s status as one of the players on the other side of that reunion. “At the end of the day,” she explained to La Vanguardia last December, “we played in practically the same position with a very similar profile.”

“I’m very conscious that football is about different stages, and that competition helps you to grow,” Pina explained, but after spending years competing with Caldentey for minutes, it is her departure that has afforded the 23-year-old with more frequent opportunities this season. “It’s true that with her leaving and Pere arriving, I’ve had this trust to be able to play more minutes,” she told TV3.

If there is one thing we’ve seen from Pina over the years, it’s that she is built for opportunities like these. Delicate in tight spaces and lethal in front of goal, Pina certainly has the talent – and her cameo appearances against the likes of Chelsea this season have shown she’s able to tap into the rhythm of a match and shape it in Barça’s favour.

She’s never played more than 20 minutes in a European final, but if Barça find themselves in dire need of a goal come Saturday, there’s few players they’d rather be able to turn to than Clàudia Pina. She knows what’s at stake – and perhaps, if she’s given the game time, she’ll be able to make a tangible contribution to the Blaugrana’s third consecutive UEFA Women’s Champions League title.