Barça Women mean business this season. After an intense summer in which they pushed until the month of June to secure the continuity of some important pieces, the Catalan club has the renewal of Esmee Brugts on track and is advancing on that of Ewa Pajor. The desire of both players to continue wearing the blue and garnet has been a fundamental part in allowing the negotiations to take place months in advance.

"Barça is her place in the world," says Piotr Kozłowski, Ewa Pajor's (Uniejow, 1996) first football coach. The Polish striker has hit the ground running in Barcelona: in just a season and a half, she has already scored 63 goals in 69 matches, but her qualities go far beyond finding the net. "Her team spirit stands out; she creates chances for her teammates and makes decisions that benefit the entire squad, not just her own statistics. If she were more selfish, she would have even more goals, but she has a sense of responsibility and maturity on the pitch that make her a complete and highly valued player," says Kozłowski, who worked with Pajor from the age of eight to twelve. Pere Romeu has also highlighted these qualities. "She goes into every match motivated, presses relentlessly, makes runs, gets into the box, and holds up the ball with her back to goal. I really enjoy coaching her; she always performs at her best, and if she could, she would provide more assists."

It was a big week for Barça women. After seeing Aitana Bonmatí win her third Ballon d'Or, Pere Romeu's team dispatched a defensive Espanyol side in the derby at the Johan Cruyff Stadium (2-0). The blue and white team managed to shut down their opponents for much of the match thanks to Romane Salvador's saves, but the quality of Alexia Putellas and the great goalscorer Ewa Pajor ultimately won the day.