Alexia Putellas has spent 14 years building a legacy at Barcelona that very few players in women’s football can match. Now, at 32, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner has chosen not the comfort of another established European giant, but the uncertainty of an ambitious London City Lionesses project.
That decision says plenty about where Putellas believes her football can still go. The former Barcelona captain signed a three-year deal with London City last month after confirming in May that she would leave the club she had represented since 2012. Her final appearance came on May 27, when she provided an assist against Real Sociedad in an emotional farewell at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. Barcelona’s official record lists 507 appearances for the club, underlining the scale of the departure.
Putellas leaves behind a trophy cabinet filled with domestic titles and four Champions League crowns. She also remains a World Cup winner with Spain and one of the defining figures of the modern women’s game.
“The first conversation (with the club) was about what the club wants and how ambitious the project is,” she said. “I want to be part of that journey, bring the experience I have and, of course, learn as a player and make me more complete. I made the move for that and just being in other positions that I’ve never been in. In my opinion, this league can give me that.”
That explanation is important because this is not simply a star player moving countries. Putellas is deliberately stepping into a club that is still trying to establish its identity in the Women’s Super League.
London City were promoted as Championship winners in 2025 and finished sixth in their first WSL season. They are also the league’s first fully independent women’s club, without a men’s team sitting above them. Their owner, Michele Kang, has made no secret of her ambition to turn the club into a Champions League contender.
The investment is already visible. London City’s 28-acre Cobdown Park training base has been undergoing major redevelopment, while the club has used the transfer market to assemble a squad that looks dramatically different from the one that won promotion. Putellas is therefore arriving as both a footballer and a statement.
Mary Earps, the former England goalkeeper, has also joined the club after two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain, while the summer recruitment has brought further international experience.
For London City, Putellas provides more than midfield quality. She brings Champions League experience, leadership and a winning mentality into a dressing room attempting to shorten the distance between an ambitious newcomer and England’s established elite.
For Putellas, however, the calculation is more personal. “I don’t have expectations. I just want the hard work we are doing during this pre-season, and we will do during the season, to speak for itself. It’s a hard competition, as you know. I have a competitive mind and I want to win every game, but I don’t have expectations in this sport. In my opinion, you shouldn’t have expectations. Just work in the back and give everything game after game.”
That approach could be particularly useful in the WSL, where the gap between ambition and reality can be brutally exposed. London City experienced that last season. They were competitive against top opposition, including Manchester City, but ultimately finished in the middle of the table. Putellas is also moving into a league that can offer something Barcelona could no longer provide her: unfamiliarity.
At Barcelona, she knew the football, the surroundings and the expectations. At London City, almost everything is new. The league is different, the tactical demands are different and the environment is still being built. Putellas is looking towards the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, where Spain will attempt to defend the title they won in 2023. Playing in England could expose her to different tactical systems and a more physically demanding weekly schedule, potentially adding another dimension to her game.
And then there is the cultural adjustment. She has been apartment-hunting, learning London’s rhythms and experiencing some of the differences between Spain and England. One of those differences has, predictably, reached the breakfast table. “(The breakfast). It’s quite different from Spain. (I didn’t try) the beans one, but the sausages and eggs. It was fine.”
The beans may still be waiting. But Putellas’ move is about something considerably bigger than beans on toast. For London City, her arrival represents the clearest evidence yet that Kang’s project is serious about competing with England’s biggest clubs. For the WSL, it is another sign that elite international players increasingly see England not simply as a destination, but as the centre of a rapidly expanding women’s football ecosystem.
And for Putellas, this may be the most intriguing chapter of her career. She has already won almost everything there is to win. Now she has chosen to enter a project where nothing is guaranteed.
