Alexia Putellas leads Barça in UEFA Women’s Champions League final; 500th Barça appearance
‘Alexia is Barça and Barça is Alexia’ - The legacy of captain Putellas
‘Alexia is Barça and Barça is Alexia’ - The legacy of captain Putellas
Alexia Putellas will lead her side out for the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Saturday (23 May), where they take on OL Lyonnes.
‘Alexia is Barça. Barça is Alexia.’
There are few players infootballhistory as synonymous with their club asAlexia Putellasis with FC Barcelona. It is an affinity that has spanned two decades, the two finding their way back to each other to make history.
Since rejoining in 2012, the Spaniard has grown into the face not only of the club, but also of the women’s game across the country. It comes with high expectations, both from others and from herself, carrying the weight of success on her shoulders.
More often than not, Putellas is able to keep that pressure under lock and key, but her emotions spilled onto the Camp Nou pitch after making her 500th appearance for Barça.
“How could I not [get emotional]? Camp Nou full once again, packed with fans, coming from the training ground on the bus seeing the streets full of [FCB] shirts,” she told Disney+ after that outing, in which they overcame Bayern Munich to reach the UEFA Women’s Champions League final.
“At the end, when I saw my number go up for the substitution, all of those emotions came out that I have been holding in… at the end of the day, it is not a bad thing to show your emotions.”
While it marked a milestone in her career, emotions may have been running high at the thought that her final outing in a Barça shirt in this competition could be just around the corner. There has been no movement in contract talks for the 32-year-old, who is reported to be considering her options at the end of the current campaign.
For all the talk and media speculation, however, the Catalan captain remains focused only on the task at hand: winning a fourth UCL title.
“I think it is difficult to predict what is going to happen,”she told UEFA. “All I know is that it’ll be a very close match. Ultimately, we are the best two teams in Europe, so it’s going to be a great game.”
UEFA Women’s Champions League 2025
26 final: FC Barcelona vs OL Lyonnes – head-to-head analysis
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Claudia Pina: Alexia is Barça and Barça is Alexia
Alexia Putellas in the eyes of those that know her
To better understand the magnitude of Alexia’s impact at FC Barcelona, you simply have to listen to those that know her best on the pitch as a player and in the dressing room as a leader.
There are many up-and-coming Barça youngsters, or even those who join at different stages of their career, that look to the midfielder as a reference point. She embodies the club in a way that teammateClaudia Pinahas noticed throughout their time playing together.
“She is my role model and someone I’ve looked up to for many years,”Pina said in an interview. “I always say: Alexia is Barça and Barça is Alexia.
“It was hard for me to imagine Barça without[Lionel] Messiand I think Alexia is the same for the women’s team… hopefully she stays here with us for many more years.”
Fellow midfielderPatri Guijarroechoed that sentiment, insisting Putellas is the heart of this Catalan side.
“We trust her blindly both on and off the pitch,”she said. “I’ve learned most things from her. For us, she’s the important piece of this team.
“She connects the younger and older players, and on the pitch, she is incredibly intelligent. The energy she brings keeps us all alive and active – the team’s spirit is thanks to her.”
One person in particular that gets front-row seats to Alexia week in, week out is her managerPere Romeu. The 32-year-old has been at Barça since 2021 before becoming head coach in 2024.
In an interview with UEFA, he outlined exactly what makes his captain different from other players. While her vision and intuition on the pitch stand out, it is the attentiveness to her teammates that really sets her apart.
“She is someone who picks up on moments when a player is feeling down,”he explained. “She is a supportive person, a real leader in that respect.
“She is someone who, out on the pitch, demands a lot from people in terms of giving 110 per cent.”
Taken together, the words of her teammates and coaches form a clear picture of a player that carries the responsibility of leading this club on her shoulders and in her heart.
Whether she extends her stay or departs in the summer, it is evident there is only ever going to be one Alexia when it comes to Barça.
FC Barcelona captain, Alexia Putellas.
Alexia Putellas: Chasing a third Ballon d’Or
Saturday’s final will be a culmination of another standout season for Alexia.
Twenty-one goals and 12 assists across several competitions are a clear indication that she is hitting her stride since her long-term knee injury in 2022. She has almost matched her output from last season, with a domestic treble to show for it.
In a campaign that has seen her celebrated for reaching500 club appearances, a win in the final to seal the quadruple could very well put her in the running for a thirdBallon d’Oraward.
Such is the attitude of the midfield maestro, though, an individual accolade will be the last thing on her mind. Instead, it’ll be about a resilient Barça side reclaiming their position atop Europe’s elite.
“At Barcelona, the demands are always at the highest level so you’re in a constant state of not being satisfied and that pushes you to your limit,”Putellas said. “That’s how I believe you have to be, or at least how I need to be at this club, always striving for excellence and constantly pushing yourself to be better.
“That makes you resilient, because living with that level of pressure for so many years inevitably builds resilience and keeps you going on and on without stopping. When you care this much about your profession and the club, if the result isn’t good or you don’t have a good game, you really feel it.”
She feels the pressure more than others to ensure that lull is only temporary, because there is always another opportunity to bounce back and give 100 per cent – and there are few better stages to do that on than the Champions League one.
“When [these] matches come around, you get the feeling that it is an important or big day,” she added. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the league phase or the knockouts; it gives you the feeling that it is something special and different.”
In the end, this is what the making of a great player and an even better captain comes down to: the pressure she absorbs and the standards she sets. No matter the moment, no matter the stage, these are the traits that have been fundamental to Barça’s success.
Saturday’s showpiece is another chance to show exactly that, though time will tell whether or not it will be Alexia’s last opportunity to lead the club of her life out in a major final.
Picture by 2026 Getty Images
Picture by 2025 Getty Images