Barça closes a circle with the departures of Mapi León and Ona Batlle

BarcelonaIt was an open secret, but it has now become official. Mapi León and Ona Batlle will not continue at Barça next season. The Barça club –which on Tuesday announced the departure of Alexia Putellas– closes a successful cycle to make way for a great batch of youngsters who want to "conquer the world", as the Barça captain described at her farewell event. The Aragonese centre-back – who is expected to join Michele Kang's London City (owner of Olympique Lyonnais) – leaves after nine seasons, 27 titles and 313 matches with Barça, and the Vilassar de Mar full-back would return to England to Arsenal.

Both players were able to experience their tribute on Wednesday at the Johan Cruyff stadium, in the last home league match. Their teammates gave them a guard of honor when they left the pitch, while the fans chanted their names. "Mapi is a very specific center-back, very difficult to find. A left-footed player with quality and aggression that we will miss a lot. Ona is speed, energy, good defense in one-on-one situations and good runs when she can run in open space. A top-level footballer that we will also miss," said Pere Romeu after the match against Real Sociedad.

"I'm closing the best stage of my life"

In a video recorded at the Camp Nou, Mapi León thanks all the people who have been part of her journey: fans, teammates, family, and coaching staff. "Dear culers, the time has come to close the most beautiful stage of my life. After nine years, I say goodbye to the club of my life, of my heart, of my people. Today I close the best stage of my life and, although it is difficult, I leave with a full heart. I am proud of everything we have experienced together and grateful to have been part of this great family. Barça has been my home for nine years and always will be. Visca el Barça, always," says Mapi León.

"We have helped women's football to grow and we have paved the way for many girls who today dream of playing this sport," says the Aragonese center-back, who was the first transfer between two Spanish clubs (from Atlético de Madrid to Barça) in 2017.

End of three years of blaugrana

"It has always been my dream to be in the first team of Barça. It is true that I left, but I did so with the mentality of being able to return." These were Ona Batlle's first statements when she signed for the blaugrana club in the summer of 2023. Three years and twelve titles later, the footballer from Vilassar de Mar leaves Barça to return – in principle – to England, from where she originally came.

Trained at La Masia, she went through all the lower categories of the Catalan club until Barça B, from where she moved to Madrid CFF to debut in the First Division. Batlle also played for Levante before making the leap to the English league with Manchester United. In England she established herself as one of the best full-backs in Europe. Barça noticed her and when her contract with the red devil team ended, they brought her back home.

In her first season in Barcelona, Batlle was a key player for Jonatan Giráldez, with whom she achieved the club's first poker: the Champions League (in Bilbao after defeating Olympique de Lyon for the first time), the League, the Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup. With 114 games and 14 goals as a blaugrana, the Catalan leaves after having fulfilled a "dream". Everything points to Batlle continuing her career at Arsenal, where she will reunite with former blaugrana Mariona Caldentey.