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LONDON: Alexia Putellas may be known as the \u2018Queen\u2019 of Spanish football but after 14 trophy-laden years at Barcelona, she decided this summer to head off in search of a new challenge.<\/p>\n
That ambition has taken her to London City Lionesses \u2014 a new upstart seeking to shake up the order of things in the Women\u2019s Super League.<\/p>\n
Owned by American businesswoman Michele Kang, the Lionesses are the only fully independent team in England\u2019s top division since gaining promotion for the 2025\/26 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a complete change in my life. It\u2019s a constant, daily learning process: the culture, the language, moving to a new country, a new city,\u201d the 32-year-old told AFP at the club\u2019s Cobdown Park training ground, which is still under construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that if I ever had to end my time at Barca, it wouldn\u2019t make much sense to repeat what I\u2019d already experienced in the next chapter, mainly because it\u2019s impossible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt had to be something completely different. It\u2019s practically a brand-new club, with everything yet to be written, so I\u2019m trying to bring that winning culture and mentality with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond having to adapt to less grandiose surroundings than she enjoyed at Barcelona, as well as to life in a new country, Putellas must also get used to watching the Champions League \u2014 a competition she has won four times \u2014 rather than playing in it, for this season at least.<\/p>\n
She admitted that \u201cit\u2019s a slightly strange situation\u201d, but one that is inevitable as \u201cpart of a complete turnaround\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already knew when I chose this project that I wouldn\u2019t be in the competition this year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut my last memory is perfect: lifting the trophy, being available for every match, maintaining consistency even in difficult moments. It was incredibly rewarding to finish that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
– \u2018Source of pride\u2019 –<\/p>\n
However, Putellas pointed to a silver lining in that particular cloud.<\/p>\n
Playing less matches this season will mean she can be fresher going into next summer\u2019s World Cup in Brazil, where Spain will seek to defend their title.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to make decisions by taking everything into account, and that was one of the factors I considered,\u201d she revealed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still a long way to go and my focus is on the day-to-day, but I also think that these situations are what will prepare me to give my best throughout the year so that, if the coach (Sonia Bermudez) sees fit, I can be in Brazil.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd once there, to repeat what we did in 2023,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
After Spain\u2019s men won their second world title in North America this summer, the country is currently the reigning champions in both the women\u2019s and men\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
Putellas said the reasons behind this success were \u201ccultural\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe titles speak for themselves, but I think it\u2019s a cultural thing \u2014 how we feel about football, how we live it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a boy was little, his parents would immediately put a ball at his feet. But I think that nowadays, if you\u2019re a girl, your parents put a ball at your feet too.\u201d<\/p>\n
After winning the Spanish league and Champions League last season, Putellas is many pundits\u2019 favorite to win the Ballon d\u2019Or at next month\u2019s ceremony in London.<\/p>\n
She won the award twice in a row in 2021 and 2022, before her former Barca team-mate Aitana Bonmati secured the next three.<\/p>\n
However, Putellas insists that for her it is \u201cnot a question of winning it back; I\u2019ve never felt it was mine in the first place\u201d.<\/p>\n
Instead after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which caused her to miss Euro 2022, she said she is proud to be back in the conversation as the world\u2019s best player.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter having gone through that, I enjoy it more now,\u201d Putellas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s much more rewarding to feel that you\u2019re among the potential winners \u2014 it\u2019s a source of pride.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since I suffered the injury, I\u2019ve been trying to enjoy every moment as if it were my last, because you never know if it\u2019ll happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n