Alexia Putellas has announced that she will end her 14-year association with Barcelona at the end of the season when her contract expires.
Putellas, 32, confirmed on Tuesday that Wednesday’s Liga F game against Real Sociedad will be her last for the club.
Putellas has not revealed her next club, but sources have told ESPN she has interest from Europe, the United States and Mexico, with London City Lionesses and Paris Saint-Germain among the clubs who have been closely following her situation.
There was an option in her contract to extend her stay with Barça by an additional year, with the club open to her continuing, but she has opted to pursue a new challenge elsewhere.
Read more:Michael Jordan leads tributes to Pep Guardiola as Man City boss bids farewell
Several other players are also expected to depart Barça this summer, with ESPN previously revealing that defenders Mapi León and Ona Batlle are set to join London City and Arsenal, respectively, when their deals expire next month.
Veteran Marta Torrejón is also likely to exit as her contract comes to an end, while wingers Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo must agree new deals if they wish to stay.
Putellas, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, goes out in style after helping the Catalan side win their fourth Champions League trophy last weekend with a 4-0 win in the final over OL Lyonnes.
Read more:Women’s Champions League final recap: Four goals in second half gives Barça fourth title
She was subsequently named as the Champions League’s Player of the Season for the second time in her career.
Success in Europe completed a second quadruple in three years for Barça, with Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Supercopa all won earlier in the campaign, with Putellas scoring 21 goals and providing 13 assists over 42 appearances in all competitions.
After spending a year with Barcelona’s academy as a youngster, she returned to the club in 2012 following spells with Espanyol and Levante.
Read more:Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas on future after Women’s Champions League win: ‘You will see’
She has been at the heart of a Barça team which has gone on to dominate European football since, winning 38 trophies, including 10 Liga F titles and four Champions League.
With 232 goals, she is the top scorer in the history of the women’s team and the second top scorer across both the men’s and women’s teams — only Lionel Messi (672) has score more.
Her performances with her club led to her winning the Ballon d’Or in 2021 and 2022, years in which she was also named The Best FIFA Women’s Player, while she won the World Cup with Spain in 2023.
