As the winter international break commences, Barcelona Femení has put on a display worthy of praise in their first nine games of the season. The summer transfer window saw the Blaugrana securing additional reinforcements, signing striker Ewa Pajor from Wolfsburg, Kika Nazareth from S.L. Benfica and goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck from Manchester City. While Roebuck has continued her rehabilitation with the club’s medical team, Pajor and Nazareth have quickly blended into the squad and put on some solid displays.
Barcelona Femení in their pre-match photo against Hammarby IF Women (Joan Valls/Getty Images)
Despite the slow start to the season, under new head coach Pere Romeu, Barcelona have continued in their winning ways from last season, picking up all 21 points available in the league so far. New signing Pajor has already cemented herself as the league’s top scorer, scoring nine goals in four games, with hat-tricks against Espanyol and Granada, while her former Wolfsburg teammate and Ballon d’Or nominee Caroline Graham Hansen leads the tables with four assists.
The Blaugrana got off to a slow start in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, losing their first game against Manchester City 2-0 at the Joie Stadium. This marked their first loss since February 2024. The team performed poorly, which put a spotlight on the questionable decisions of head coach Pere Romeu during the fixture. In a post-match interview, Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí stated, “We were not at our best level today. We have to improve.” It is clear that the result was a disappointment not only to the fans but also to the players and the coaching staff. Despite this defeat, Barcelona quickly picked themselves up, delivering an impressive 7-1 victory at home against Espanyol, seeing Ewa Pajor, Alexia Putellas, Clàudia Pina and Aitana Bonmatí adding their names to the scoresheet.
The international break also marks the period in which the annual Ballon d’Or ceremony will be held in Paris. Following Barcelona Femení’s breathtaking display last season, in which they were able to pick up all four trophies available to them, several players were nominated for the Ballon d’Or. Captain Alexia Putellas was also nominated despite being forced off the pitch in the first half of the season after complications arose in her recovery from her ACL injury. The front runners for this year’s Ballon d’Or are last year’s winner, Aitana Bonmatí, who finished the 23/24 season with 26 goals and 18 assists in all competitions, and Norwegian international Caroline Graham Hansen, with 33 goals and 26 assists.
The Barcelona Femení players called up for international duty in this window are:
Alexia Putellas – Spain
Cata Coll – Spain
Patri Guijarro – Spain
Vicky Lopez – Spain
Ona Batlle – Spain
Jana Fernandez – Spain
Keira Walsh – England
Esmee Brugts – Netherlands
Kika Nazareth – Portugal
Fridolina Rolfö – Sweden
Caroline Graham Hansen – Norway
Ingrid Engen – Norway
Ewa Pajor – Poland
Sydney Schertenleib – Switzerland
An impressive start to the 2024/25 season, with 45 goals across all competitions thus far, shows that Barcelona Femení is a force to be reckoned with. The defending champions are locked in to defend their quadruple from last season. The players’ hard work, determination, and perseverance, as well as the coaching staff, directors, board members, and investors, have shown clearly that remarkable results can be achieved when you invest in women. The team’s successes are a testament to the growth of women’s sports at both the domestic and international levels. However, there is still a long way to go in promoting the growth of women’s football.
