Mapi León: ‘It is a club created for women’ after move to London City Lionesses

Mapi León, the Spain centre-back, gave her first major interview since signing for Women's Super League side London City Lionesses outside a hotel near Maidstone on 15 August 2026, saying: "It is a club created for women. It is beautiful and exciting." She laughed when first asked what persuaded her to join, responding: "No, I can't, I'm sorry, it's a secret!"

The 31-year-old, born in Zaragoza, left Barcelona this summer after a nine-year spell marked by seven league titles, seven Copa de la Reina victories and four Champions League wins, having joined Barcelona from Atlético Madrid in 2017. León described her move from the comfortable environment of Barça to south-east England as motivated by a desire for a new challenge and to test herself in a different league.

Off the pitch she said she is settling into English life while missing her cat Bagheera, noting: "Here, you ask for so many things for pets, you can't [really] fly with them, it's so many documents, so many things." She also revealed a fondness for local breakfast habits: "I like the beans in the morning. It's really interesting. My Spanish teammates like Alexia [Putellas] and Jana [Fernández] are like: 'What are you doing eating beans in the morning? You need to train.' I go: 'No, it's fine I like it.'"

Explaining the footballing motive for the transfer, León said: "My body was craving something different. I spent many years in a comfortable position, because playing at Barça has been absolutely wonderful and very nice; it is a style of game that suits me a lot and coming to England, the football is very different from the Spanish one, at first glance. So, I think [the reason was] being able to challenge myself and see if I am capable. I am going to make an effort to adapt to this league and also to show myself that I'm able to compete in another style of play that is not the one that makes me stand out the most."

On tactical adjustments, she said: "The English league can give me a lot. You can learn a lot. The transitions, the style of play, playing with more space. The pressing is different too because I'm used to teams often sitting back in a mid-to-low block, whereas here, it's probably more of a high press. I'd like to bring a bit of calm to the game. "I don't know if that really fits with English football, but no, of course, I don't want to change the system, but simply the timings as a centre-back. I am a centre-back so I see everything. And I like to control a little bit of the timings so maybe we can try to have a little bit more of the ball. Or there are many spaces, so we can go. So I like to have a bit of control. "The league is so competitive, the commitment the league is making, the clubs, I mean, I think everything makes it very attractive to come because I have been following the English league over these years and it feels like it can't let you relax even for a second, not in any match, not during the match. Not a single second can relax you, because the English league is much more competitive."

León was one of four members of the Spain starting XI that beat England 4-0 in June in Mallorca who left Barcelona this summer, alongside Arsenal's new signing Ona Batlle, OL Lyonnes' new winger Salma Paralluelo and her London City Lionesses teammate Alexia Putellas. Their arrivals, along with signings such as former England goalkeeper Mary Earps and France winger Kadidiatou Diani, followed a season in which London City Lionesses finished sixth in the WSL last term.

Asked about any coordination with Putellas over the move, León said: "No, not really, no. I think we take the issue of personal matters very seriously." She added: "It's a very different challenge. You come from a league where you win every year. Where you have achieved great things internationally and you come to a club that finished mid-table with some different challenges. And I think it is a very personal decision for each individual to make, choosing what is best for you personally. "[You ask yourself] what do you really need right now? What is your body telling you? What do you think is best for you to keep improving, to keep pushing yourself, and to maintain that ambition? And I think each person needs different things. So, there wasn't much communication between us. And that the decision wasn't planned." The club announced the signings of Putellas and León five days apart in July.

León also spoke about the club's owner, Michele Kang, saying: "The impression I get is of an empowered woman, with a winning mindset, driven by a desire to see things improve and a drive to win. And that is a competitive and winning mentality. And if in the end, I want to be part of it because it is a club created for women and that is not common, I think it is beautiful and exciting. "Everything counts when you make this kind of a decision, and of course, [Kang] was an important part because seeing another woman doing so much to help women's sports, and women's football grow, I think it's impossible not to value that. I think it's something very powerful."

Reflecting on daily life in England, she said: "It's so different [here]. It's not a bad thing but, I can just walk to buy food, and no one recognises me! And sometimes it's nice, because in Barcelona we are not 'famous' but people know us. It's one of the many amazing things. But also sometimes you miss this freedom. Like, just go and shop." London City Lionesses open their season at home to Manchester United on 4 September.