Alexia Putellas, one of the most decorated players in women's football, is preparing for a fresh chapter in her career as she settles into life with London City Lionesses ahead of the club's season opener against Manchester United on 4 September.
The 32-year-old Spaniard, who spent 14 years at Barcelona after returning to the club in 2012, walked away from Champions League football to join the independent, women's-only London City project. Over her time at Barcelona, Putellas amassed 38 trophies, including 10 league titles and four European cups, while also collecting back-to-back Ballon d'Or awards in 2021 and 2022. She remains a favourite to add a third this year. On the international stage, she was part of the Spain squad that won the 2023 World Cup and reached the final of Euro 2025.
Despite her extraordinary résumé, Putellas insists she is far from finished developing as a player. Asked whether she could still improve, she laughed before responding: "Yeah, of course. Always. Day after day, I want to learn things. That's the way I see this job. Just keep going, never stop and be as good as I can."
She described her move to London as an opportunity to test herself in new ways, saying the switch from Barcelona could help her discover the limits of her ability. When questioned about balancing her elite winning mentality with the early stages of a developing club project, she said both could coexist. "I'm going to bring to the project whatever it needs from me," she explained. "I'm 100% committed. I'm hungry to win, I'm hungry to be better day after day and to fight with my team-mates for the victory."
Putellas credited a difficult chapter in her career — an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept her out of Euro 2022 — with reshaping her outlook on the game. "Since the ACL injury, I enjoy everything," she said. "It's not enjoying just having fun, it's about learning something, and then I enjoy learning that thing. I'm just a person who loves what she does."
Her footballing intelligence is already making an impression at her new club. Manager Eder Maestre has likened her to a secondary coach on the training pitch, given her ability to influence how the team plays. Putellas herself explained the philosophy behind her passing, a trait she says she refined during her years at Barcelona. "If I give you a pass without speaking, you have information," she said. "Maybe I am giving you that pass because I want them to receive a message like 'we go' or 'we stay'... it's just football language."
Off the pitch, Putellas is adjusting to everyday life in a new country — searching for housing, learning to navigate London traffic, and getting used to English customs. She has sampled a full English breakfast, though she admitted the baked beans were not to her taste, preferring the sausages and eggs. Spanish teammates, including close friend Jana Fernandez and Barcelona's Mapi Leon, who also joined London City this summer, have helped ease her transition. She had hoped to catch up with former Barcelona teammate Keira Walsh, though those plans were postponed.
While adapting to her surroundings, Putellas remains sharply focused on football. She acknowledged being warned by rivals in the Women's Super League that the competition would be fierce, joking that some had told her they intended to "kick" her. She said she was ready for the physical and unpredictable nature of English football, adding that former colleagues encouraged her to embrace the unique atmosphere of matches in the league, including away fixtures.
As London City Lionesses prepare to begin their campaign, all eyes will be on Putellas' first appearance in English football — a debut she appears ready to meet head-on as she continues seeking new challenges in her career.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.