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Putellas joins London City
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas has joined English Women’s Super League team London City Lionesses after the expiry of her contract at Barcelona, with the club confirming the signing at an event in New York on Wednesday.
“London City Lionesses have announced the signing of Alexia Putellas at an event in New York”
The Guardian said Putellas was available on a free transfer after leaving Barcelona at the end of the season, ending a 14-year stay in which she helped the club win four Champions League titles.
Putellas, 32, is set to wear the number 11, and the BBC reported that the Spanish midfielder had been a World Cup-winning figure for Spain in 2023.
London City’s owner Michele Kang, who also owns OL Lyonnes and Washington Spirit, said: “Alexia Putellas embodies the pinnacle of talent, dedication, and vision in women’s football.”
Why she chose England
Putellas said she was “thrilled to embark on this new chapter with London City Lionesses,” adding that the club’s “steadfast commitment to growing as a women-only independent club resonate deeply with me.”
NBC News framed the move as a major question after Putellas spent 14 years at Barcelona, with the W Hotel in Manhattan described as the setting where journalists and sports professionals awaited her decision.
Sky Sports said Putellas left Barca after 14 seasons and won 38 trophies, while also noting she had been a four-time Champions League winner and won the Liga F title on ten occasions.
In her own remarks, Putellas also said she was excited to work with Michele Kang “to elevate women’s football in England and on the global stage.”
Impact and next steps
London City Lionesses said the signing marks a “landmark moment for the club,” with the club describing Putellas as a World Cup champion and multiple-time Women’s Champions League winner as it builds within the Kynisca global ecosystem.
“will play in the premier women’s division for the first time in the 2026–27 season”
Al Jazeera reported that the Lionesses will play in the Women’s Super League for the first time in the 2026–27 season, after being promoted to the WSL in the 2024-25 season and finishing sixth in their debut campaign in the top flight.
The Guardian said London City have already signed big names in the transfer window, including former England goalkeeper Mary Earps from Paris Saint-Germain, the Denmark defender Janni Thomsen from Utah Royals and the Germany forward Nicole Anyomi from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Kang said the move is “more than a signing,” and the club statement emphasized that together they will “create new commercial opportunities and development pathways for the next generation of female athletes.”