In F🔍cus: María Pilar León Cebrián

In F🔍cus by Tactical Insight, where we use data & videos to analyse and give you a closer look into players and managers.

Biography

Name: María Pilar León Cebrián

Known as: Mapi León

Date of birth: 13 June 1995

Position: Centre-back

Alternative Position: Left Back

Current Club: Barcelona

Nationality: Spanish

Get to know Mapi León

The 28-year-old has been at the top of Spanish football for 11 seasons. Affirming herself as one of if not the best centre half in the world.

Mapi León is a left-footed centre half for Barcelona and Spain. Spending 6 seasons at Barcelona, her first club was Zaragoza CFF where she debuted at 16 years of age. During the 2013/14 season, Mapi played at Espanyol before joining Atlético Madrid in 2014/15.

The season 2016/17 in which Atléti claimed the Femenina title was where she drew everyone’s attention. Her performances & contribution to the team earned her a call-up to the Spanish national team for the European championship & a transfer to Barcelona she joined on August 24 2017. She’s ever since become one of the best centre-backs in the world. Winning 4 x Liga F titles, 5 x Copa de La Reina’s, 3 x Supercopa Femenina winner & 2 x Champions League winner & named in the FIFPro XI 2022.

Tactical Analysis

Mapi León plays in the left centre-back position for Barcelona and Spain. Barcelona and Spain are one of if not the best-possession-based sides when it comes to club and international football. Mapi León is one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the world, she can dictate games from the back.

In possession, Mapi understands when the time is right to release the ball and when to hold on to the ball to wait for better-passing options, when to switch play & when to recycle possession across the defence. She is very patient and calm on the ball. Mapi León has a great passing range, able to play through and around teams. Carrying the ball into midfield and being able to break lines with chipped passes is one of her main strengths (below), under pressure, breaking down deep blocks the weight, the accuracy of her passes is exceptional. She dominates the left side of the pitch which is seen by her season heat map (below).

As seen above, if the opposition is playing a high defensive line she has the ability and accuracy to play over the defensive line to get her attacking teammates beyond the opposition defence and find their runs. This is one of the reasons she is in the 99th percentile for shot-creating actions & passes into the final 3rd.

León’s incredible passing range is key in bypassing a press and starting attacks. She can switch play to the left or right wing & play balls in behind the defence (above). If cut out by the opposition it allows her teammates to win the 2nd balls and can create pressing opportunities.

Along with her incredible ability Mapi León’s iq is incredible, her calmness and composure when being pressed play a big part in her making the right decisions. She’s press resistant which makes it hard for teams to press her.

The defensive side of her game is an area she can improve on. Due to playing in sides that keep the ball 90% of the time, her defensive weaknesses are less exposed. However, her anticipation and reading of the game allow her to be in a position to put the opposition off. Barcelona’s counter-press also helps minimise counterattacks and getting caught in transition. As Mapi León likes to carry the ball into the opposition half and Barcelona like to dominate in the opposition half there can be space behind the defence that can be exploited if the opposition make an interception.

Mapi Leon can also be a threat in the final third her ball striking is incredible. When given time and space, she has a good mid to long-range shot on her. She’s also a set-piece specialist, providing quality deliveries from corners & wide free kicks and can score directly from free kicks. Her balls over the top to the attacking players also lead to goal-scoring opportunities.

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