2-time Ballon d'Or winner Putellas leaving Barca after 14 years
Barcelona women's star Alexia Putellas will leave the Catalan giants at the end of her contract this summer bringing a "perfect story" to a close, she said Tuesday.
"The eternal captain will close the curtain on her career as a Barca player after 14 years with the first team," said Barcelona in a statement.
The two-time Ballon d'Or winner, 32, helped Barca claim a fourth Champions League title on Saturday as they beat Lyon in Oslo, completing a quadruple.
"I've always said that you can't defend this shirt (only) halfway, and I understand that I have given everything I have," said Putellas in a video on Instagram.
"I said I wanted the final moment to come when I was at my best, giving everything and with 100 percent energy.
"That's it, now it's time. It has been a perfect story."
Putellas has been linked by Spanish media with a move to London City Lionesses, who belong to Lyon owner Michele Kang, among other sides.
She will play her final home match as a Barca player against Real Sociedad on Wednesday in Liga F.
"Fourteen seasons and more than 500 matches, with moments that will remain forever in Barca's memory and in my heart," continued Putellas.
"I have been, and will always be, just another cule (Barca fan), like you. That's why I don't want this to be a sad moment. This is just a chapter that ends.
"But luckily, I was born a cule and I will die a cule. So we'll see each other again."
The 2023 World Cup winner could claim another Ballon d'Or this year after her strong performances ensured Barca did not suffer in Aitana Bonmati's absence after she broke her leg in December.
The midfielder started her career with Espanyol before moving to Levante in 2011 and then to Barcelona in 2012.
Putellas has won the Spanish top flight on 10 occasions and the Champions League four times, playing a key role in Barca's dominance both at home and in Europe.
"(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 would be shouting my name," added Putellas.
"We have taken the women's team further than we ever could have imagined.
"At the beginning, being a footballer wasn't even recognised as a profession. And now I feel only the privilege of having been part of this change."
Several members of Barca's squad are out of contract in the summer with their futures not confirmed.
Defenders Mapi Leon, Ona Batlle and Marta Torrejon are expected to leave, while Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo might pen new deals, along with coach Pere Romeu.