Alexia Putellas has spoken with The Guardian about her new stage in English football, after leaving Barcelona after 14 years. The double Ballon d'Or now faces the challenge of playing with the London City Lionesses of the Women's Super League, in a competition that she considers especially demanding.
The Catalan footballer assures that one of the reasons that led her to England was precisely the possibility of facing a different scenario. Putellas highlights the intensity of the English league and the opportunity to encounter situations that she had not experienced in the same way during her career in Spain. Her goal, according to what she conveyed to The Guardian, is to continue learning and become a more complete player.
“I am hungry to win, to fight with my teammates for victory,” the footballer states in the interview. Putellas also makes it clear that she is not coming to London to limit herself to living a new experience, but with her usual competitive ambition. She wants to win, improve every day, and contribute to the growth of a project that she considers especially ambitious.
A departure from Barça after 14 years
Putellas announced in May her departure from Barcelona after a 14-season career. In her farewell, she explained that the time had come to close a stage that she considered unrepeatable and summarized her state of mind with a phrase: “I have emptied myself.” She also stated that it had been “a perfect story” and that continuing could blur the path built during those years.
The decision came after winning her fourth Champions with Barça. The Catalan left as one of the great figures in the history of the club and as the footballer with the most titles in its history, with a record that includes four Champions Leagues and ten league championships, among other trophies.
London as a new challenge
The choice of the London City Lionesses represents a considerable change. Putellas leaves a Barcelona accustomed to competing for all titles to join a project that is trying to establish itself among the top teams in the Women's Super League.
Her contract is for three seasons. CBS Sports placed the agreement at more than 1.85 million dollars annually, a figure that, according to their estimates, would place her among the highest-paid female footballers in the world, although there is no official ranking that allows for a specific position to be established with certainty.
Now, Putellas faces a different stage. The player herself has pointed out that precisely that difficulty is one of the reasons that convinced her to change countries: a new league, new teammates, and the need to adapt to a different football without giving up the ambition that has marked her career.