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Alexia Putellas announced on Tuesday that she would be leaving Barcelona, the club she has spent 14 years at and captained.
The 32-year-old has won the Ballon d’Or twice in that time, World Cup with Spain in 2023 and won her fourth Champions League title last weekend.
A goodbye event took place on Wednesday morning at Spotify Camp Nou, recognising the legacy of one of the greatest players of all time. The question now is…where will she be heading to?
“A perfect story” - Putellas announces departure
Putellas posted a long farewell video on Instagram, outlining her love of the club and the memories she has created there.
“I remember the first time I heard your chants,” she said. “I was six years old, and it was the first time I went to the Camp Nou with my father.
“At that time, I only saw men playing in the stadium, and I never would have imagined that, one day, more than 90,000 culés would be there shouting my name.
“We have taken the women’s team further than we ever could have imagined. At the beginning, being a footballer was not even recognised as a profession. Now, I only feel privileged to have been part of this change.
“Fourteen seasons and more than 500 matches. Moments that will remain forever in Barça’s memory and in my heart.
“I have always said that I wanted the final moment to come while I was at my best, giving everything and with 100% energy.
“It has been a perfect story.”
A perfect story for Putellas, but a moment Barca fans hoped would never come. Since joining the club at 18, she has been a constant presence in the side that has grown into a European powerhouse.
Barca have reached six consecutive Champions League finals, winning four of them. Putellas became captain in the 2021/22 season and cemented her place among the game’s greats by winning back-to-back Ballon d’Or titles in 2021 and 2022.
Where to next?
Putellas has been heavily linked with London City Lionesses, the independent club that earned promotion to the Women’s Super League last summer.
Unlike most newly promoted sides, London City arrived in the top flight with major financial backing and ambitious plans. The club is owned by billionaire Michele Kang, whose willingness to invest has already made headlines across women’s football.
London City, who play their home matches at Hayes Lane in Bromley, broke the world-record transfer fee in women’s football when they signed Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain for a reported £1.4 million last summer.
Other superstars on their books include Sweden's Kosovare Asllani (who recently suffered an ACL injury), former Arsenal midfielder Danielle van de Donk, ex-Lyon forward Delphine Cascerino, and Putellas’ former Barcelona teammate Jana Fernandez.
Despite those additions, London City finished sixth in their first WSL campaign, and a crucial 22 points adrift of the top three European qualification places. But Kang’s ambitions of building an elite team and a significantly larger fanbase is clear to see.
Previous attempts to land marquee transfers including Beth Mead ultimately failed to get over the line. Signing Putellas could be the transformative signing that Kang desires with this team.
The WSL undoubtedly offers more competitive league games than Liga F, but a seventh-placed finish means Putellas would be without Champions League football, something the Spain international enjoyed throughout the 14 years of her Barcelona career.
There would also be a significant contrast in fanbase. London City’s highest attendance this season was just over 5,400, compared to the 60,067 who watched Barcelona face Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou in the Champions League. No doubt Putellas would increase that attendance at Bromley's ground.
But there is a clear vision for Kang's franchise, and Putellas could be attracted by a project where she could spearhead that movement. And of course wages to match the talent too.
