Tag: UEFA Women’s Champions League

In 1951, a German newspaper reviewed a women’s football match and concluded that the most important thing about it was that the players had prepared “both on the field and in front of the mirror.” Another publication called it a “sellout of sweet femininity.” A French broadcaster, wrapping up coverage of a 1955 match, signed off with: “Now that the game is over, why not go back home and clean up?”

For years, the idea of Alexia Putellas leaving Barcelona felt almost impossible to imagine. Not because football allows fairy tale endings often, and not because there was never interest elsewhere, but because the relationship between player and club eventually moved beyond the usual categories. Alexia was not simply Barcelona’s captain, best player, or most recognizable figure. She became part of the club’s identity during the exact years that identity transformed into something globally recognizable.