Alexia Putellas completes London City Lionesses transfer as two-time Ballon d'Or Feminin winner leaves Barcelona
Updated 08/07/2026 at 17:29 GMT+1
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London City Lionesses have made a huge statement by signing two-time Ballon d'Or Feminin winner Alexia Putellas from Barcelona, the club announced on Wednesday. Putellas ended her 14-year association with the Catalan side in May.
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The 32-year-old won 38 trophies in total during her time at Barcelona, including 10 Liga F titles.
All four of the club’s UEFA Women's Champions League triumphs came during her spell at the Spanish giants, with the first coming in 2021.
London City were among the early favourites to sign Putellas after she revealed that she would leave Barcelona.
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And the Barclays Women's Super League club completed her signing on Wednesday, calling it a "landmark moment".
"I am thrilled to embark on this new chapter with London City Lionesses," Putellas said in a statement. "The club’s ambition, and its steadfast commitment to growing as a women-only independent club, resonate deeply with me.
"Off the pitch, building on my passion for youth development, I am equally excited to work with Michele [Kang, club owner] in elevating women’s football in England and on the global stage."
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Michele Kang, owner of London City and Kynisca - a women's sports organisation, said the signing was a "powerful endorsement" of the club, which finished sixth in the WSL last season.
Kang added: "Alexia Putellas embodies the pinnacle of talent, dedication, and vision in women’s football. Her decision to join our independent, women-first club is a powerful endorsement of what we are building at London City and Kynisca."
London City said Putellas' arrival "is expected to drive significant growth in fan engagement and attendance, both for the club and across the WSL".
Putellas came through Barcelona's academy before having spells at Espanyol and Levante, and then returning to Barcelona. She went on to make 507 appearances for the Catalan club, scoring 232 goals in that time.
Her record in front of goal makes her the all-time leading scorer of Barcelona’s women’s team, while only Lionel Messi has scored more across the men’s and women’s sides.
Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Feminin on successive occasions in 2021 and 2022.
She ended her decorated career at Barcelona on a high, with the club winning the Women's Champions League in May, beating Olympique Lyonnais 4-0 in the final.
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Putellas said in May that her time at Barcelona had been a "perfect story".
In a statement on Instagram, she said: "I said I wanted the final moment to come when I was at my best, giving everything and with 100% energy.
"That's it, now it's time. It has been a perfect story.
"[At six years old] I only saw men playing in the stadium, and it would never have occurred to me that one day, in that very same place, more than 90,000 cules [Barcelona fans] would be shouting my name.
"We have taken the women's team further than we ever could have imagined."
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