The new Mapi León? Meet Charlotta Ohlander, future star from FC Barcelona Femení's youth academy

FC Barcelona Femení has suffered one of its most sensitive losses in recent years. After the 25/26 season, Mapi León said goodbye to the club, leaving a large gap free in the team’s defense. The Zaragoza centre-back, who has become one of the best players in the world, left the team and her absence will be great in the central area of the defence. With Laia Aleixandri recovering from the cruciate ligament injury, the club is now looking for and alternative for Mapi León.

As the seasons have gone by, Barça have been able to count on players from the academy who have been promoted to the first team to lend a hand. Some of them have become fundamental, as in the case of Clara Serrajordi, and there are others that still have a great prediction for the future. One of these cases is that of Charlotta Ohlander. The 16-year-old player, with Swedish and Spanish nationality, was born in Barcelona in 2010 and made her debut with Barça B at just 15 years old, as well as with the Spanish U17 National Team.

Who is gonna replace Mapi Léon?

A few weeks ago she signed her renewal with Barça until 2029 after going through all the club’s youth categories, where she has stood out for her great leadership from a very young age. In addition, he stands out for his vision of the game and precision in passing, characteristics that Barça will seek to replace in the defense that replaces the absence of Mapi León, in charge of starting the game from the back in the team.

Charlotta also has a privileged physique with chich he stands out to play as a centre-back. In addition, many compare her to Irene Paredes for her physique, although one of her great references is Fridolina Rölfo, with whom she has shared a club until the Swede signed for Manchester United last season. At the club they have a great projection with Charlotta, who became the youngest player to debut with the reserve team of the women’s team.

Expectations for her are high; she is even one of the young players sponsored by Puma as part of its group of players known as “NextGen”. Before coming a regular on the Spanish Women’s national team in the young categories, she also played for Sweden’s U-15 and U-17 teams. After that, she chose to represent Spain after the Spanish Football Federation took and interest in her.

Football in her blood

Charotta, or Carlota, as she prefers to be called, comes from a family of athletes. Alex, one of her two brothers, also plays as a goalkeeper for a club in Catalonia, and her father Fredrik Ohalnder, was an international handball goalkeeper who played for FC Barcelona an Granollers, another well-known team in the Spanish first division of handball.

The player’s latest contract extension with the club is part of a strategic move by FC Barcelona to secure one of the most promising players from its youth academy -a player they are continuing both now and in the future. In this way, Barça once again demonstrates its commitment to homegrown young talent, something the first team has sometimes sorely lacked. Next year, she will join the reserve team and will soon be integrated into the first team’s training regimen.