Barcelona closed the season with a 4-0 victory over OL Lyonnes in Oslo to claim a fourth UEFA Women’s Champions League title, and Alexia Putellas was named the competition’s Player of the Season. The club completed a clean sweep — Champions League, Liga F, Copa de la Reina and Spanish Supercopa — a quadruple achieved for the second time in three years.
Putellas, 32, has announced she will leave Barcelona when her contract expires this summer. Her career at the club includes 38 trophies, 10 league titles, four European Cups, more than 500 appearances and 232 goals from midfield. She has won the Ballon d’Or twice. Only Lionel Messi, with 672 goals, has scored more for Barcelona’s men’s or women’s teams, the club noted.
Her impact at Barcelona extended beyond statistics. Former coach Xavi Llorens told Putellas in 2012 that her return would mark a “before and after” for the team. Teammate Irene Paredes called her the “motor” behind the team’s success, and president-elect Joan Laporta described her as “more than a player.” At a farewell event at Camp Nou, the club displayed her 38 trophies, broadcast messages from Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta, and captured emotional scenes among younger players. Putellas said she is leaving because she believes “everything is in place for the team to carry on winning,” and added that “maintaining that level of demand over 14 years is not normal.”
Other departures were confirmed or reported this week. Barcelona announced full-back Ona Batlle will leave when her contract expires after three years at the club; ESPN has reported she will join Arsenal. Defender Mapi León will also leave when her deal expires in June, and sources told ESPN she has an agreement to join London City Lionesses.
Putellas has said she will take time before deciding her next move; sources told ESPN she has attracted interest from clubs in the NWSL and Mexico. With several experienced players departing, Barcelona enter the offseason preparing for roster changes after a highly successful campaign.
