Women's Barça keep moving forward after winning the national treble and reaching another Champions League final. The captain, Alexia Putellas, has a contract until 2026 with an option for one more season, and at 31 years old, she is already thinking about retirement. The two-time Ballon d'Or winner, in an exclusive interview for "Forbes", has been clear and has made it clear that she still has a lot of soccer ahead of her.
Alexia Putellas, six more years
The Catalan is in top form and keeps taking care of herself. She is sure that, at this pace, she can continue many more years as a professional and sees herself competing until she is 37.
"I'd have to be completely burned out mentally from this industry not to keep going in it. I'm 31 now, and playing at a good level I see it as possible to continue for four more years, although I'm taking care of myself to reach 37," said Alexia Putellas.
This would mean that she would have to renew her contract with FC Barcelona again or look for an alternative destination to retire far from Europe. A place that has always caught her attention, according to Madrid-Barcelona, is the United States. However, she ruled out this possibility when she renewed her contract in 2024.
"My family, very Barça"
In another matter, Alexia Putellas also said: "My family has always been very passionate about soccer and very Barça... They've watched many matches, although no one played. I started playing when I was 4 or 5 years old in the schoolyard and in the square of my town (Mollet), I liked it, and here I am. Since I really liked playing soccer, my parents decided to sign me up, at 7 years old, for the youth teams of Sabadell, which was my first team."
About her signing for Women's Barça, she said: "One day I went to a Barça Nike camp. There, a coach from the team saw me and told me he'd like me to play for the team the following year. I talked to my father and that's how they signed me. Xavi Llorens taught me to control that anger caused by my passion for playing... Because at first I was very anxious, I got very angry when I was substituted."
To conclude, Alexia Putellas spoke about the possible pay equality with men's soccer: "I don't think they'll ever be equal, it would be a utopia. If it happens, it would be great, because it'll be something that's been caused."