Mapi León

María Pilar León Cebrián, known as Mapi León, is a Spanish defender born on 13 June 1995 and raised in Zaragoza. She plays for Women's Super League club London City Lionesses and for the Spain national team. She grew up in the city's La Almozara district and was spotted by a Zaragoza club official while playing football with her brother.

France Football and L'Équipe published the 30-player shortlist for the Ballon d'Or Féminin 2026 in September 2026, and she is one of the nominees. ballondor.com describes her as a turning point in the recent history of Barcelona and of women's football in Spain.

León played for Prainsa Zaragoza, Espanyol and Atlético Madrid, where she moved from left-back to centre-back and won her first league title in 2016–17. In 2017 Barcelona paid Atlético €50,000 for her, the first paid transfer in the history of Spanish women's football. At Barcelona, where she stayed until 2026, she won several league titles and Copas de la Reina and played in three Champions League finals, winning in 2021 as part of the club's first treble. She stopped playing for Spain from 2022 to 2025 over what she called unequal conditions, returning for the 2025 Nations League Finals.

Sources of this text: Wikipedia · France Football / L'Équipe · ballondor.com · The Guardian