Alexia Putellas and Barcelona Femení: How a little girl from Camp Nou became a soccer immortal

File photo: Alexia Putellas of FC Barcelona (AP Photo) The story begins at Camp Nou. Long before 91,553 people chanted her name in equal measure, a starry-eyed six-year-old girl walked into the stadium with her father. The journey from her home took less than an hour by car. Her eyes followed the man in the blaugrana; the blue and dark red stripes that represented her childhood club. She never let go of the ball at home or at school. Her parents, the first of millions to recognize her love and potential for the sport, signed her up for training. A few years later, 11-year-old Alexia Putellas joined La Masia, FC Barcelona’s youth academy, the club of her dreams.In 2012, about a month after her father’s death, Alexia returned to Barcelona after starting her senior career with Espanyol and a brief stint with Levante. She was the star feature of an overlooked women’s team that lacked even a dedicated training ground, looking to build itself from the ground up. The team that the then eighteen-year-old girl took on her shoulders.

The girl who belonged at Camp Nou

A decade has passed. To celebrate, she bowed in front of a record crowd of 91,553 at Camp Nou, Europe’s largest stadium, who chanted her name in equal parts awe and reverence. She had just scored against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the highest stage of competitive club football.“Alexia, Alexia, Alexia” was the collective, rhythmic call that echoed through the stadium.About an hour earlier, with the city of Barcelona buzzing with anticipation, Barca Femení were set to play their first game at the Camp Nou in front of a packed crowd. When the players entered the stadium, Alexia, the captain, was first in line; as always she was in all club affairs. The stands were colored in the blue and dark red shades of FC Barcelona and the yellow and red of Catalunya. “More than reinforcements,” was the mosaic – a rallying cry that accompanied the team all season.It was the biggest crowd the stadium had seen all season: 5,000 more than the crowd that attended the men’s Clasico. To understand the scale of the participation, we have to remember that the Estadi Johan Cruyff, the regular home ground of the women’s team, is a 6,000 capacity stadium. Even the Real Madrid players did not want to leave Camp Nou after the loss. At the center of it all was Alexia, who led the celebrations on the drums while singing along with the crowd and her bandmates.

When Barcelona Femení conquered Europe

A year ago, she led her club to the treble after winning their first ever women’s Champions League title, beating Chelsea by four goals in the final. After the triumph, she became the first Spanish winner of the Ballon d’Or since 1960. It was followed by a breakthrough 2021–22 season from the club with unrivaled unbeaten runs, which ended in tears as they failed to beat the formidable Olympique Lyonnais Féminin. The UWCL trophy could not be theirs in 2022, but Alexia became the first player to win the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or Féminin in consecutive years. Her individual brilliance required no recognition of heights.On 6 July 2022, FC Barcelona announced that Alexia tore the ACL in her left knee while training with the Spanish national team ahead of the Euros. She was sidelined for nearly a year as she underwent surgery and dealt with one of the most challenging and devastating injuries in the sport.After returning from injury, she won her second UWCL with her team. Nevertheless, she was accompanied by complications caused by the injury. Alexia could not play without pain and discomfort. In December 2023, she had to undergo an arthroscopic procedure.Alexia, who is still in an uneasy position after her long-term injury, started on the bench in the 2024 UWCL final. She came on in the 92nd minute when Barcelona were guarding a one-goal lead. It took her barely a few minutes on the pitch to fire a brilliant left-footed shot into the top left corner of the net. That sealed victory as Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium erupted in celebration. Olympique Lyonnais, a team that somehow failed to get better for years, was finally defeated.

A Pioneer’s Last Bow

Alexia leaves as the most decorated player in FC Barcelona history with 38 trophies, many of which she lifted while donning the captain’s armband. With more than 230 goals in more than 500 games, the 32-year-old midfielder is the top goalscorer in the history of the women’s team.It will be a disservice to the captain to simply measure her legacy through trophies and awards. Her story goes beyond tangible metrics of success; it’s also the mesmerizing way she plays – her brilliant first touch, her thrilling play and deadly finishing, the way the stadium holds its breath when she has the ball, the fact that people often buy a ticket just to watch her play.Most importantly, her story is also about how she became a role model for young girls in a sport she never had herself. Her story is one of the pioneers.With misty eyes, a second four and a head that could hardly be held up, Alexia took her final bow in the colors of the Blaugrana when her story with FC Barcelona came to an end last week. However, her legacy has gone down in history. It will live until the sport works.