On top of the world after lifting the Ballon d’Or trophy in Paris last week, Alexia Putellas is in London to take on Arsenal in the Champions League this evening, and yet – while the sport heaps praise on this generational talent – the Barcelona and Spain captain is full of admiration for England’s Women’s Super League.
In a rare interview, the 27-year-old midfielder with over 1m Instagram followers described the WSL as a “role model” for women’s leagues around the world. “I watch it, it’s lucky because all the games are so readily accessible. In that respect, I think the English league is a role model – if only other leagues were managed like it is. It’s a league that is super competitive with great players, full of great teams, Arsenal and Chelsea are probably a step above the rest, but all the teams in the league are competitive.”
Putellas, whose all-conquering Barcelona side beat Chelsea to the Champions League title last season, isn’t ruling out a move to the English league in the future either. Despite extending her contract with the Catalan team last summer, when asked if she could be tempted to join the WSL, Putella said: “You never know.”
“I’m happy here and I agree with the club’s approach and its project, but who knows? Maybe someday I won’t fit here anymore, or maybe my moment will have gone, you never know that. Anyway, the English league is one of the best leagues in the world.”
Favourite to be named as the best player by Fifa in January, Putellas gave an emotional speech on accepting France Football’s coveted prize last week. At the Theatre du Chatelet, Putellas dedicated the Ballon d’Or to her late father, Jaume, who died in 2012 just weeks before she captained Spain to the final of that year’s Under-19 European Championships. “I was very attached to my father and when he passed away, it was really tough,” she reflects now. “But it was thanks to football that I was able to come past it, and I had only really started to play football thanks to him in the first place, so I really wanted to give the award to him.”
