25 years ago, Levante UD Femenino wrote a new chapter in the history of Spanish football. In October 2001, the UEFA Women's Cup —now the UEFA Women’s Champions League— was held for the first time, and among the teams debuting in that edition, as expected, was the granota team.

The path to the great European event was built during the previous season. The team led by Antonio Desclazo concluded the 2000-01 season with a perfect record of victories (26), scoring 240 goals —the biggest win being 27-0 against Terrassa— and conceding only five goals. These figures, unmatched by any other Spanish team, were the perfect ticket to participate in the newly created UEFA Women's Cup.

Levante UD traveled to Germany, where UEFA welcomed them with a reception dinner for all participating teams, with the mission of making history. Although, beyond the scoreboard, the true feat had already been achieved. It was on October 3, 2001 when the granota team debuted in the European competition, in the group stage of the round of 16. Their opponent was FFC Frankfurt, a team that was several steps ahead of its time. Even so, under the guidance of Antonio Desclazo, the team stood up to the Germans in a match that ended with a narrow victory for the home side. A close result, thanks in large part to the interventions of Levante's goalkeeper Casamayor.

Just two days later, Levante UD scored 17 goals against College SC from Armenia, with goals from as many as eight different players: Mar Prieto and Auxi Jiménez each scored four goals; Vanesa, Rosa Castillo, and Monje each netted a brace; and Laura del Río and Alicia Fuentes Soler joined the goal fest with one goal each. They concluded the group stage of the round of 16 against Codru Chisinau from Moldova, in a more competitive match than the previous one. Vanesa put the Granota team ahead from the penalty spot, but, after half an hour of play, Frishko equalized the score. The tie lasted only three minutes, as Soler broke the deadlock and Auxi Jiménez sealed the match before halftime.

Despite the last two victories by the Granotas, it was FFC Frankfurt that advanced to the quarterfinals, having won all three of their group stage matches. And, indeed, it was the German team that lifted the first trophy of the competition after defeating Umeå in the final. The European dream for Levante UD lasted just one week, but it was enough time to show what they were capable of and how far they could go. A path to the elite that would not stop there, as the name of Levante UD would resonate across Europe again in the 2002-03, 2008-09, 2021-22, and 2023-24 seasons.

The squad from that historic experience in the UEFA Women's Cup was composed of: María Goñi, Laura del Rio, Laura Ots, Silvia Zarza, Peppa Crespo, Tere Saurí, Casamayor, Vilanova, Vanesa Gimbert, Maider Castillo, Ángeles, Monje, Sara Monforte, Almudena Sánchez, Mar Prieto, Julia Olmos, Alicia Fuentes, Rosa Castillo Varó, Auxi Jiménez, Jéssica Masip, África, Marina, Montserrat Soler, and Dolores Torrentí.