Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas has said that she is “hungry to win” and “100% committed” to her new club while aiming to become a more complete player at London City Lionesses.
The former Barcelona midfielder — ‘La Reina’ (the queen) as she was called at her former club — departed the European juggernauts after 14 years after owner Michele Kang managed to convince the midfielder that her highly ambitious new project in the Women’s Super League (WSL) would be the best next step in the 32-year-old’s career.
Putellas was unveiled alongside Kang in New York in arguably the highest profile transfer the WSL and women’s football has seen.
Despite the noise around her exit from Barcelona and decision to join a sixth-place team in the WSL with high ambitions to dismantle the established elite in England, Putellas admitted this was attractive to her as a player.
“Well, the first conversation was about what the club wants and how ambitious the project is,” Putellas told a news conference in London in her first media duties as a London City player.
“I want to be part of that journey, bring the experience I have and, of course, learn as a player to 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.
“It will be different, for sure, but that’s why I’m here because I’m looking forward to improving myself as a footballer, as a person as well. [I want to be a] more complete player, as much as I can. It’s about learning new things, playing with and against other players and just trying to find where my limits are. It will take time because, of course, it’s a new beginning and a big change for me, but I’m so excited to be here.”
Moving from Barcelona — a historic club with four Champions League titles where silverware was guaranteed every year — to London City Lionesses is a massive risk for Putellas. London City is a young project founded only in 2019 after splitting from Millwall Lionesses, with just one season in the top tier.
However, it is a project and a change that has excited the Spaniard who won everything possible at Barcelona — 38 trophies, including 10 Liga F titles — and scored a club record 232 goals for the women’s team. The only person to have scored more is Lionel Messi (672).
“Both can live together, my mentality and the moment of the project,” Putellas said of the change. “I’m going to bring to the project whatever the project needs from me. I’m 100% committed. I’m hungry to win, I’m hungry to be better day after day, to fight with my teammates for the victory. I’m going to try to give my best to the team and let’s see at the end of the season how good we were.”
Though it is a stark shift for the two-time Ballon d’Or winner — the first to play in the WSL — she admitted she has brought no expectations with her to England.
“To be honest, 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 don’t have expectations but, of course, 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.”
The WSL has been hailed as one of the most, if not the most competitive league in the world by players. This is due to the investment, infrastructure and world-class players clubs have signed, including London City who have been increasingly ambitious and aggressive in the recent transfer windows.
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Kang has admitted that she wanted to make London City the best club in England and Europe and has pulled off impressive signings to do so since her takeover that saw the club win promotion from the second-tier and finish sixth last season.
Only three clubs have won the WSL in the last decade, with the remaining teams struggling to break the status quo. For Kang to recognise her beliefs and make London City a European contender, the club will need to finish in the top three to earn a place in the Champions League qualifiers next season (though issues around her ownership of both London City and OL Lyonnes complicate this).
The competitiveness of the WSL is what attracted Putellas to London City. Barcelona rarely had to fight for domestic dominance, breezing past their opponents with ease, winning every league title since 2019-20. The added fight week in and week out is something that the midfielder hopes will advance her playing ability even in the latter stages of her career.
“In my opinion, you never know what will be the result of the game. It’s a very competitive league, week after week. We haven’t started yet but, if I have to imagine, all the games will push you to your limits. It’s a very entertaining league and I think that’s a key point for the fans.”
Putellas admitted that she feels she can still get better — she is keen to unlock more areas of her game — but having spent 14 years with Barcelona she added that she has been “open-minded” when adjusting to a new club, country and league.
“I’m ready for whatever in this journey,” she added. “It’s a new moment. I’m not looking for what we had or they have now in Barça. It’s a different game and, of course, I have quality. I will try to give to my team the best of my qualities, but it’s different. I don’t know, here the spaces are bigger than at Barça. It’s what I said before. I will learn of every situation, and I hope this can make me a better player.”
There are plenty of familiarities for the midfielder though. Kang had persuaded many former Barcelona staff members to join her vision, while enticing several of Putellas’ former teammates — Mapi León, Jana Fernández, María Pérez and Lucía Corrales — to buy into her ambitious vision.
This, however, did not influence her decision, she said. Though she did admit that it has made the adaptation to England and the club easier.
Putellas has spent her first few weeks in the country adapting to a new life, learning to navigate a new country and how to start fresh in a new city, something she has not done since 2012 when she relocated to Barcelona from Levante. Despite a 15-year long career, Putellas has only played her club football in Spain.
“[I’ve been] looking for an apartment, looking where I have to go for shopping, just normal things that in Barcelona, of course, I knew. Now, here, everything is new. I’m a calm person so day after day, I learn new things. What to do in London, how do I move, there’s a lot of traffic here. But I’m happy to be in London.
“I already tried an English breakfast. It’s quite different from Spain. I don’t know. Just, as I said before, I’m open minded and let’s try new things of [English] culture.”
