Mapi León’s return to the Spanish women’s national team, three years after her last call-up, has been the biggest surprise in Sonia Bermúdez’s first squad announcement.
The Barcelona defender says she feels happy, excited, and ready to turn the page on the past.
Maria León and Alex Morgan
In a heartfelt video shared by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), León expressed her emotions about wearing the national shirt again:
“I really wanted to come back and say, ‘Here I am — this is who I am.’ I don’t know if you had forgotten me, but I’m here to remind you why I was part of this team and why I still belong at the top level.”
The defender also recalled the origins of her passion for football:
“When I was little, the Captain Tsubasa series [‘Oliver y Benji’ in Spanish] had a huge impact on me — it stayed deep inside me. My mother had to bring me a football every day. There weren’t any girls playing back then; it was always boys… and then there was me.”
Reflecting on her first experience with Spain’s national team, Mapi remembered how overwhelming it felt:
“When you come in at 15 or 16, you’re still a kid. Representing your country — it’s not a small thing. It gave me goosebumps. It was a reward for all the work I had done over the years, and that’s when I earned my place.”
She holds a special memory of the day she scored her first goal for Spain, wearing her mother’s surname, Cebrián, on the back of her jersey:
“Very few people get the chance to represent Spain. I’m so lucky to have this opportunity.”
Looking ahead, León feels optimistic about this new chapter:
“We’re in a new era — with beautiful things ahead.”
Overcome with emotion, she added:
“Being here, feeling this happy, this excited — it’s just beautiful. I’m enjoying it like a little kid. My family is over the moon. I just want to keep enjoying every moment, and I truly am.”
She concluded by reflecting on how much she has changed since her last appearance with the national team:
“I’m a calmer person now, more patient, maybe more serene — but with the same drive, maybe even more. It’s like a phoenix: a rebirth. I’ve been reborn within the national team.”
