Ana Crnogorčević Is Hoping To Repeat Champions League Success With FC Barcelona

120 years after a Swiss man placed an advertisement in a newspaper which led to the foundation of the club, Ana Crnogorčević became the first footballer from her country to represent FC Barcelona in a league match in January. “Maybe one day I will think about that," she admits. "Right now, I’m really happy to be here and play for Barcelona and have such amazing team-mates".

Later this month Crnogorčević hopes to help Barcelona become the first club to win the men's and women's Champions League. Five years ago in Berlin, during her time with German side 1. FFC Frankfurt, she experienced the joy of winning the competition three years after losing a final. “Those few days in Berlin were just amazing," she remembers.

"We played the final in Munich in 2012 against Olympique Lyonnais in the Olympiastadion. That final was also incredible, we had over 50,000 people watching (a record attendance for a women's European club competition match). Obviously we lost, which was a big bummer, but Berlin was just like a second chance and it was again in Germany.

"As a German club to play in Germany was just fantastic. All of our friends and family members were able to travel to Berlin." Frankfurt won thanks to a last-gasp goal and Crnogorčević who holds dual Croatian and Swiss nationality celebrated draped in the flags of both countries. "Being there, having another chance to play a final and to win this thing two minutes before the end of the game was just incredible. That was for sure one of the biggest moments in my career so far and I hope it is not going to be the last one!”

Last month her former club, a four-time European champion, ceased to exist under its own name following a merger with men's club Eintracht Frankfurt. Crnogorčević sees the moves as a positive for the women's game. “I know Frankfurt were always in touch with the men’s club. It always a topic but now it's actually happened. This is great and I really hope they can get back to the big time. Frankfurt was a big club in the last couple of years and I really hope they can somehow get back there. I still have contact with my old coach and some of my old team-mates. They have a lot of young players, I really hope they can develop the women’s game and I really hope other clubs are doing the same to help the women’s team or get a women’s team”.

Another men's club who has recently merged with a women's team is Real Madrid. Crnogorčević hopes their global pull will stimulate a new interest in Spanish women's football. "Why not? Real Madrid is a big name. Having Real Madrid on the women’s side is going to be fantastic. It’s going to be fantastic for the league. We will have a rivalry just because of the names. I think that’s a good thing”.

After leaving Switzerland over a decade ago, Crnogorčević is now playing in her fourth different country following nine seasons in Germany and two years in the United States with the Portland Thorns. “Every country has a different culture," she believes. "Germany was very tactical - very focused on tactics. The Americans are very athletic and make everything about their physique. Barcelona is a lot about the technical stuff. It’s just about enjoying having the ball, having possession, while in America it was very much up and down, it goes back and forth.”

With 59 goals in 119 international appearances for Switzerland, there can be no doubting Crnogorčević's goalscoring prowess, yet throughout her career, she has frequently been asked to switch positions, often employed as a right wing-back for Barcelona. Over time, she has grown to see her versatility as something that has added to her overall game.

“I actually enjoy it. The very first time, I was 23, I was kind of annoyed about that. Now, if I look back, it helped me so much to develop my game. When you’re moving and playing in different positions you know what it takes or what to expect from a defender to be good as a striker. You have the whole view of the game. I think it really helps me to be a complete player. That was for me definitely very helpful and I don’t regret it”.

Now as she attempts to overcome a quadriceps injury which has kept her out of Barcelona's warm-up games, Crnogorčević hopes the change in the Champions League format to single ties played on neutral territory will open up the competition. "I would say this tournament now is a little bit different, everyone is coming from a lockdown, everyone is coming from a long time without any games. You just have one game and in one game sometimes crazy things can happen. The chances this time are a little bit higher for every team to reach the final. It’s such a special situation I think it’s a little bit more unpredictable".

In the first of the quarter-finals, the Spanish league champions Barcelona will face the team they dethroned, the previous year's winners Atlético de Madrid. In their three meetings last season before the lockdown, the Catalans were undefeated. Crnogorčević came off the substitutes' bench to play out the final moments of Barcelona's 3-2 Super Cup win over Atlético in Madrid in February. She expects their match on 21 August to be just as tight. "It's going to be a tough game. It’s going to be a close game. They also have some new players that are able to play in this game so we will have to see. I think they will look a little bit different with those new players. It is important that we focus on us and bring 100% on the pitch from our side. If we do that, we can compete with every team”.

Title holders Olympique Lyonnais defeated Crnogorčević and Frankfurt in the 2012 final and have won the last four Champions League titles. Despite the new single-tie format, she still sees Lyon as favorites to win once more. "They played for so many years together with the same core. I think they are still the best team and everyone else is trying to beat them”.

Like many of their rivals, Lyon have strengthened during lockdown, signing recognized internationals from abroad. Following a late rule change by UEFA, up to six new players may be added to the team's Champions League squads by 18 August. Barcelona's squad will be largely unchanged going into the competition and Crnogorčević believes this could be an advantage. “I know that other teams are signing a lot of players but I think the good thing is we still have the same team. Steph van der Gragt left our squad but the core is still the same. Obviously you see and read about other teams making signings but that could be something good or something bad. Right now you can’t say anything. It doesn’t really help if a lot of players left your club and then you get a lot of players in. You need a little bit of harmony, you have to get to know each other. I think it’s good for us that we almost have the same team as we did before. I think that could help us”.