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Spain Mapi León is a professional footballer, renowned for her defensive skills and contributions to FC Barcelona Femení and the Spain national team. Her career highlights include multiple league titles and UEFA Women's Champions League victories, making her a prominent figure in women's football.
Araujo and Mapi León were announced as Barça Foundation ambassadors for 2023/24, taking over from Gerard Piqué, Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí, and Sergi Roberto.
In 2022, Grupo Bimbo partnered with FC Barcelona, making the BIMBO® brand a global partner and main partner of the Women's Soccer team.
In 2021, Mapi León was featured in Levi's 'Beauty of Becoming' campaign for LGBT Pride month, giving a voice to LGTBI talents.
Mapi Leon was featured in SoccerBible Volumes: 'All Power' edition.
María Pilar León Cebrián, known as Mapi León, was born on June 13, 1995, in Zaragoza, Spain. Her early life included diverse sporting interests, including volleyball and baseball, before she focused on futsal. Her talent in football was recognized at age 11 when she began training with Prainsa Zaragoza. She quickly progressed through their B team and made her Primera División debut at 16 with Prainsa Zaragoza. In her final match with the club in 2013, Zaragoza reached the Copa de la Reina final, losing to FC Barcelona. This early exposure to high-level competition established her presence in Spanish football.
In 2013, at 18, León moved to RCD Espanyol for one season, where she secured her first trophy, the Copa Catalunya. Her performance drew the attention of Atlético Madrid, a leading club in the league. She joined Atlético Madrid in 2014, and during her tenure, she transitioned from a left-back to a central defender under coach Ángel Villacampa. With Atlético, she achieved her first league title in the 2016–17 season and also won the Copa de la Reina in 2016. Her consistent performance led to her inclusion in the league’s best XI, catching the eye of FC Barcelona.
In 2017, León made a historic transfer to FC Barcelona for €50,000, marking the first paid transfer in Spanish women’s football. At Barcelona, she has achieved significant success, including winning four Copas de la Reina, multiple league titles (2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25), and several Supercopa Femenina titles. She participated in three UEFA Women’s Champions League finals with Barcelona (2019, 2021, and 2022), winning in 2021 and 2023, contributing to the club’s continental treble in 2021. Her international career with Spain began in 2016, participating in UEFA Women’s Euro 2017, 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. She has also been recognized individually with inclusions in the UEFA Women’s Champions League Squad of the Season in 2020–21 and 2024–25, and the FIFA FIFPRO Women’s World 11 in 2022. León extended her contract with Barcelona until 2026. She has been involved in significant discussions regarding player conditions with the Spanish National Team, opting not to be called up for certain tournaments due to disagreements over fairness and equality.
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