Alexia, the player destined to make history
The captain plays her 500th match with Barça at the Camp Nou and could become the club's second top scorer
Barcelona“Alexia is Barça”. That is how Irene Paredes and Patri Guijarro – two of the captains – summarize Alexia Putellas. Almost 5,000 days after wearing the Barça jersey for the first time, the Mollet native has once again made history at the Camp Nou, where she has reached 500 games in the blaugrana shirt. This is yet another example of what a key player represents in the growth of the Catalan club. When Alexia debuted with Barça on August 24, 2012 – after playing for Espanyol and Levante to grow and establish herself in the First Division –, Barça had not yet played any Champions League matches, had just won their first league title – now they are on their way to their eleventh – and only had two Cups in their trophy cabinet – on May 16th, they could lift their twelfth.
As if that weren't enough, Alexia can make history in a double way. With Sunday's goal at the Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium – which was Barça's 100th against Real Madrid –, the captain has scored 229 goals with the blaugrana jersey and is just three goals away from equaling César Rodríguez (232) and becoming the second top scorer – counting male and female – for the club. Only Leo Messi will remain ahead of her, who with 672 goals, it seems unlikely any footballer will be able to overshadow him. Among Alexia's 229 goals, there are some very memorable ones, such as the 2-0 in the Champions League final in Bilbao to beat Olympique de Lyon for the first time, or the one she scored against Zaragoza CFF in the Copa de la Reina final in June 2013, her first goal that went viral. This season, the player from Mollet del Vallès has played 40 matches and scored 21 goals, numbers that make her a favorite for the Ballon d'Or – it would be her third –, ahead of Claudia Pina, second in the ranking according to GOAL.
Alexia's best version has coincided with the key stretch of the season. After the international break, the captain has accumulated five goals and two assists in six games that have given her great confidence to face these two months in which she aims to repeat a historic poker with Barça, which she has only won once in her career. “She has something different, if Alexia is on the field the team experiences it in a different way. Training is just as competitive as playing,” points out Pina, the top scorer in Liga F with 17 goals. Once she reaches 500 duels, she will have a new challenge on the horizon: to surpass Melanie Serrano as the player with the most games for Barça (517). This season, at most, she will be able to play ten more matches, so she would need one more season if she wants to reach this record. In the men's category, on the other hand, she still has several names ahead of her. Víctor Valdés, with 535, is the next on a list headed by Leo Messi with 778 duels.
Alexia's invisible face
If there is one thing that teammates in the locker room agree on, it is everything Alexia Putellas contributes off the field. “As captain, she is there for whatever you need and helps you without being asked,” highlights Clara Serrajordi, who will play at the Camp Nou for the first time at 18 years old and can boast of sharing a locker room and playing field with one of her idols. “She is a leader and a role model, both on and off the field,” adds Paredes, who confesses that reaching 500 games with Barça is “amazing.”
It is a leadership that Alexia knows how to transmit to her teammates. “She is an emblem, you believe everything she says,” explains Cata Coll. “She always does things to make the team feel good, she plays the role of captain very well, which is not easy,” remarks Graham Hansen. Alexia is becoming a player destined to make history who wants to continue breaking barriers. She was the first goalscorer in the history of the Clásicos (then against CD Tacón, formerly Real Madrid) and the first player to score a goal at the Camp Nou (5-0 against Espanyol in a match without an audience due to the pandemic). Nothing, however, is by chance. Her competitive hunger has led her to break down all doors. The queen wants to keep breaking down walls.