Barcelona Femení captain and icon, Alexia Putellas, sat down with Jorge Ramos and Al Punto, for a brief interview, where she spoke about her ambitions and the World Cup.
This article was written in collaboration between Omar Hawwash, Muhammad Arham Ansari, and Tarek Nacer.
Alexia has had a turbulent season, filled with injuries, but remains a star at international and club level. Above all, she is widely considered an icon within the Barcelona sphere, as well as the women’s football community, and rightly so.
Alexia sat down with Al Punto for a brief interview; the interview was sent in to Blaugranagram by one of our readers, Ann Castillo.
On her future:
“My intention is clear, which is to continue [in Barça]. I have a lot of energy and a lot of motivation to enjoy competing every game,” Alexia told Al Punto.
“I want to enjoy every game [especially] after being away this year. I’m doing very well, I got the medical green light in April.”
On her recovery after 9 months on the sidelines:
“I recovered well and thank God that everything went well.”
“There have been no sequelae to the injury during my vacation [in Miami]. I have continued training and I really want to play more football, because it is what I love doing the most.”
On the World Cup:
“Every game in the World Cup is complicated, everyone plays at a high level. It is clear that there are great teams with very good players. There are always big surprises in the world cup, historically speaking,” she told Al Punto.
“But I am confident that we can do really well in the tournament,” she continued.
On achieving her dreams:
“I had never imagined I could have fulfilled my dream of playing for Barcelona, of playing in a sold-out Camp Nou, of playing in big tournaments like the EURO & the World Cup, and of winning the Champions League.”
“I never thought it would be possible but I have been lucky enough to achieve all these things.”
On the topic of gender & salary equity arising when talking about women’s football:
“I certainly believe that this is the future. I don’t know if it will be 5, 10, or 20 years from now, but I firmly believe that women will not only play but also occupy positions [that give them] power of making decisions so that all of this can grow.”’
“And without a doubt [the aim is to] offer the fans a good product which also can be achieved by taking care of the player and providing them the facilities to be able to improve.”
On what her future could look like in five years:
“Well, I always said that I did not want to leave Barça without winning more than one Champions League…”
“We have already won two, but I want to get more and I always say that the day I leave Barça I want the final photo with the trophies to be with several Champions Leagues.”
“We are on the way [to achieve that], my motivation is still intact, I want to win more Champions Leagues with Barça, but we know that this is football and we do not really know what can happen.”
“I have always said that when I feel that I can not contribute more because I feel that I am drained or because the motivation may not be the same because I have already won a lot; I have always said [in that case] that I will raise my hand and I will step aside.”
On footballing icon Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami:
“Well, I only wish Leo that he will be happy with his family, that he will be comfortable. In the end, we have been able to enjoy him for many years, and we can only thank him for everything he has given us: not only us Barcelona fans but to all football fans because he has done things that had never been done before. So, thank you, and enjoy this experience.”
The 29-year-old midfielder started her career at youth level with four years at Sabadell, then a year in Barcelona, then four years at Espanyol.
She got promoted to Espanyol’s women’s first team in 2010, before leaving a year later to join Levante. In 2012, she joined Barcelona, and has since registered 281 appearances with 126 goals to follow.
