Barça Femení Roll Call - Part I
Getting to know the individual members of the most imperious force in women's football, Barça Femení. In part 1 we've got goalkeepers, defenders, and a versatile trio.
When I started this publication a month (más o menos) ago, I did so in a way that presumed that readers would have, if not a deep at least a passing familiarity with who these players are, their positions, and roles on the pitch, and their places within the overarching personality of the team. This may be true of Barça Femení’s most famous players, there’s an incredible array of awesome players with whom most simply will not be familiar.
Given this, I thought it would be instructive to do something of a Barça Femení “roll call” and lay out the who's who of this team, along with a bit about their backgrounds, histories, and/or other points of interest.
In the interest of length, I’ve decided to break this into two parts, working up the pitch. So, we're starting here with an introduction to Barça Femení’s goalkeepers, defenders, and a trio of invaluable super-utility players.
Goalkeepers
Sandra Paños (#1)
Captain, stalwart, world-class keeper, and 2019 Ballon d’Or Féminin shortlister. Has an occasionally frightening but almost always amusing habit of flirting with danger on the pitch, almost certainly out of the boredom that comes with spending entire halves with no one within 30 yards.
Paños was the lone member of Las 15 to (reportedly) speak to the RFEF ahead of the 2023 World Cup but still be excluded from the tournament squad. That her uncapped Barça backup was selected despite just three appearances in the preceding year all but confirms that the decision was not play-based.
Catalina “Cata” Coll (#13)
The aforementioned, wildly popular backup was selected to the World Cup squad over Paños, despite very limited post-injury action. Though she saw no action during group play, 22-year-old Cata showed herself to be up to the task, starting three of Spain’s four knockout matches, including the 1-0 win over England in the final. One of four current Barça players (along with Jana Fernández, Clàudia Pina, and Salma Paralluelo) to be a member of both the 2018 U-17 and senior 2023 Spanish World Cup-winning women’s teams.
Gemma Font (#25)
Filled in ably for Paños when called upon last season but has since fallen down the pecking order.
The Defense
Irene Paredes (#2)
In a big win for nominative determinism, an absolute rock of a center-back whose surname translates to “walls” in Spanish. Tough, intelligent, and seemingly perpetually slightly bemused on the pitch, with a disregard for her own physical well-being reminiscent of old-time NFL running backs.
Though she didn’t sign the letter, Paredes (along with Alexia and Jenni Hermoso) publicly supported “Las 15” but was invited to rejoin the national team for its World Cup run after conversations with the federation.
María (Mapi) León (#4)
The first-ever paid transfer in Spanish women’s football (€50,000, from Atlético de Madrid in 2017), a defensive colossus, free kick/long-range sniper, simultaneously a spark plug and a calming influence, cooler than anyone who tucks their jersey into their shorts has any business being…
… an icon with the fans and, in many ways, the evolutionary Carles Puyol. With all due respect to Barça Femeni’s gaggle of apex predators, arguably the most important player on this team, with a better case for “best female player in the world” than…
SIXTEENTH?? What the fu–
One of three members of Las 15 (along with Patri Guijarro and Clàudia Pina) to not rejoin the national team prior to or since the World Cup.
At the time of writing, in a relationship with teammate Ingrid Engen.
Jana Fernández (#5)
A versatile 21-year-old defender born in nearby Martorell, who joined La Masia in 2014 at age 12, and has only ever played for Barcelona. Not at all physically imposing but technically and tactically gifted enough to play either center or right back at a high level.
She lost big parts of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons to a torn ACL but has been vital since returning in March 2023. One of the members of Las 15 to return to the international setup. However, Jana didn’t travel Down Under this past summer1 to add a senior World Cup winner’s medal to a collection that already included ones from 2018’s U-17 World Cup and U-17 Euros.
Ona Batlle (#22)
Born less than an hour up the Catalan coast, Ona is another local talent who, like Jana, joined La Masia at around age 12. A highly skilled left-back, she rose through the ranks as far as Barça B and earned a senior call-up in November 2016 before leaving the club in the summer of 2017 in search of consistent first-team action.
Spent three seasons with Madrid CFF and Levante and another three with Manchester United, where she became a star, earning the club’s Women's Player of the Year award in 2020-21, PFA WSL Fans' Player of the Year in 2022–23, and a spot on the PFA’s WSL Team of the Year in both 2021–22 and 2022–23.
This past summer, before heading Down Under with La Roja to capture the World Cup, Ona, now a free agent, announced her return to Barça.
Lucy Bronze (#15)
One of the most accomplished English players in history.
An NCAA championship in 2009 with the University of North Carolina. Three FA Women’s Super League titles (two with Liverpool, one with Man City). Two WSL Cups. Two Women’s FA Cups. Three Champions League-Division 1 Féminine doubles with Lyon (two as part of trebles). And, in her first season in Barcelona? Liga F, the Supercopa de España, and another Champions League.
Internationally, she’s won the U-19 Euros (2009; and reached the final in 2010) and Euro 2022, and has finished in the top three in the Women's World Cup (second in 2023 and third in 2015) with England.
Individually, she’s won UEFA Women’s Player of the Year (2019; the first English woman ever to do so), FIFA’s Best Women’s Player for 2020, and PFA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year (2014 and 2017) and BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year (2018 and 2020) twice each. Bronze has also finished top-ten in Ballon d’Or voting three times and won the Silver Ball at the 2019 World Cup.
She’s a bona fide legend of the game whose qualities as a defensive right back and a teammate - by all accounts and on my amateur observation - are clear as day. I do, however, harbor questions as to whether she instinctively relies too heavily on directness and power - whether she’s “too English” if you will - on the ball to truly thrive at Barça.
Swiss Swedish/Spanish/Norwegian Army Knives
Marta Torrejón (#8)
The oldest member of the squad at 33 made her senior debut with Espanyol at an incredible 14 years of age. All she’s done since is win.
As part of the most successful (and long since past) era in Espanyol women’s history, she won four Copas de la Reina, four Copas Catalunya, and a league title in 2005-06. Since joining Barça in 2013, she’s won another six league titles, another six Copas de la Reina, another five Copas Catalunya, three Supercopas de España, and a pair of Champions League crowns.
Whether on the right side of midfield or at right back, Marta provides versatility, selflessness, unflappable poise, and veteran savvy. I’ve said before that she provides a Barça team that “absolutely does not need ‘an adult in the room’ with one of the best in the business.”
A pillar of unwavering, if not particularly spectacular hyper-competence who will occasionally hit you with something like this.
Fridolina Rolfö (#16)
Currently sidelined while recovering from surgery on her right meniscus. When healthy, for my money, Rolfö is the most selfless superstar in the sport. With size, strength, speed, skill, and intelligence she’s both able and (and this is huge) willing to step in wherever needed, whenever needed.
In 2021-22, Rolfö played at every level - defense, midfield, and attack - and tallied 12 goals and 17 assists across 37 Liga F and Champions League matches. For her efforts, she was rewarded with a #19 finish in the Ballon d’Or voting.
The 29-year-old followed that up in 32 league/Champions League appearances in ‘22-’23 - not just overwhelmingly as a defender but on the left rather than the right following Lucy Bronze’s arrival - with ten assists and 12 goals - one of them the winner in the Champions League final. Then, over the summer, she scored three times while leading Sweden to third place in the World Cup. This was good for a leap to #4 in Ballon d’Or voting.
She may no longer be, strictly speaking, unsung, but we could stand to turn up the volume on the song.
Ingrid Engen (#23)
I tried. I promise. But it just wouldn’t leave me alone. So, for my own sanity…
About three or four years ago, NBA Twitter spent an awesome amount of time debating “hoopers vs. basketball players.” Without dragging us all deeper into this muck than is absolutely necessary, in the simplest terms, among players of equal physical ability and achievement, the “hooper” not only makes plays but, innately and instinctively, makes magic.
Aitana? Hooper. Patri? Hooper. Clàudia Pina? Hooper. Caroline Graham Hansen? Your favorite hooper’s favorite hooper.
My biggest takeaway from watching Ingrid Engen last was simply: “Not a hooper.” This is not to be confused with “not a good or valuable player.” However, on a team stacked with seemingly effortless genius, when involved in the attack, Engen simply did not look up to the ridiculous standard of this hive-minded death machine.
By season’s end, I doubted that there was a role at Barça in which the Norwegian could excel.
HOWEVER…
This season, partly out of necessity but also out of tactical inspiration, coach Jonatan Giráldez pushed Engen further back in the formation - initially to defensive midfield and now increasingly to center back. There she’s found a role that perfectly accentuates the strengths and minimizes the shortcomings of a player who’s tall, strong, hard-working, unselfish, and unafraid of contact.
At the time of writing, Ingrid Engen is in a relationship with teammate Mapi León.
Stay tuned in the coming days for the second half of the Barça Femení Roll Call, featuring the seemingly inexhaustible collection of talent that makes up the murderers’ rows that are Barça Femení’s midfield and attack!
Correction was made to a previous version that erroneously stated that Jana Fernández was a part of the 2023 World Cup winning side. Thank you to Redditer “atomic__tourist“ for altering me to the fact that I’d mentally swapped Jana and Laia Codina for a moment while writing this.