The false myth of Claudia Pina

BarcelonaClaudia Pina (Montcada i Reixac, 2001) is one of the standout names this season for Barça women's team. The Catalan player – who renewed her contract until 2029 in December – has grown over the years to earn a place in the starting eleven. "It's a result of evolution. She was a child, she shone at Sevilla, she returned, but breaking into the best team is complicated," Miguel Llorente, who managed the footballer at the Barça B team, tells ARA. So far this season, she has played 36 matches, 26 of them as a starter, scoring 19 goals for Barça.

The idea that Pina was an excellent substitute has always been there, and it is a reality, but the numbers show that in the last three seasons she has been a starter in most of the matches she has played. In Jonatan Giráldez's last year, 2023-24, the player from Montcada was a starter in 27 out of the 44 games she played. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that she completed the 90 minutes on 14 occasions, the highest figure to date in a season as ablaugrana player. With the arrival of Pere Romeu, she has fully consolidated herself in the starting eleven. Last season she started 67% of the games she played, while this year she has started 72% of the matches. “Now I am a more complete player with more confidence, but eager to continue growing and working,” assures Pina.

“When I was competing with Oshoala, I told her I would be better than her. With me, she was already playing as a pivot, an interior, and a forward. She was the player who best understood the game we wanted to play at Barça. It was very easy to connect with her because with few words she understood what she had to do,” recalls Llorente, who emphasizes her intelligence. “She knows what to do and when to do it, who to interact with, where to position herself… If Pere told her to do whatever she wanted, Pina would get it right.” Romeu has also praised the talent of the player from Montcada on several occasions. “She is a very complete player, she helps us play well and organize the game. When she approaches the final third, she has a great facility for scoring and for bringing calm to a play where it is normally difficult to stay calm because many defenders arrive and you have to finish quickly.”

Goal-scoring ability

Always, that is, with a great scoring performance. The confidence and minutes that the various coaches have given Pina have had the expected return from the footballer. Since she returned to Barça –after a season, 2020-21, on loan to Sevilla–, the Catalan has not dropped below 13 goals per season. With six matchdays left to finish the League, Pina is the top scorer in the competition with 17 goals, one more than Ewa Pajor, with whom she is fighting to be the top scorer. Last year, the Montcada native was already the top scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals. 

This increase in goal-scoring is partly thanks to the tactical modification implemented by the current Barcelona coach. With Mariona Caldentey's departure in the summer of 2024, Pina has taken on the role of left winger. "I feel more comfortable on the wing, which is where I am playing right now. I have more freedom to go inside or stay out wide," confesses the footballer. "She can play both positions, but I see her more as a winger coming inside. She has a lot of talent in the final third, she gives us very good inside play and a lot of finishing ability," adds Romeu.

However, not everything is roses and violets. One of the things Pina has had to work on over the years is controlling her emotions on the field. “When I was at Barça B, I was a child, I got angry because they fouled me and I had trouble managing my emotions. She is a person with a lot of character, very temperamental and a great fighter,” admits the coach who had her in the Blaugrana reserve team. An attitude that has matured over time. “Motivation is good if I use it on the field for things that benefit the team, but I also have to channel it so that there are no fights that contribute nothing to the team or to myself,” acknowledges Pina.