Putellas was born and raised in the Catalan municipality of Mollet del Valles, about 20 km northeast of Barcelona.
She started playing soccer in the streets and quickly became a Barcelona fan and Camp Nou regular.
With matches always on TV at home, former Spain and Barcelona star Andres Iniesta and Brazilian duo Rivaldo and Ronaldinho quickly became his idols.
After attending a summer football camp run by Xavi and playing for local team CE Sabadell, Putellas spent a year at La Masia, Barcelona’s famous youth academy.
Spells at Espanyol and Levante followed the dissolution of his women’s team, before finally returning to Barca in 2012.
It was the start of a 14-year career with her boyhood club during which she won 38 trophies, including 10 league titles and four European Cups.
But after winning the Ballon d’Or for the first time in 2021, one of the most difficult moments of Putellas’ career came when she suffered an ACL injury on the eve of Euro 2022, ruling her out of the tournament.
Although she retained the Ballon d’Or later that year, it took her a while to return to her best. Playing only a minor role in Spain’s triumphant 2023 World Cup campaign would have stung.
After scoring in the 2024 Champions League final and improving further the following season, in 2025-26, she shouldered much of Barcelona’s creative burden as Aitana Bonmati missed five months due to injury and finished the season with a quadruple winner.
If that wasn’t enough, the midfielder scored twice in a 4-0 win over England in June, which secured Spain’s place at the 2027 World Cup at the expense of the Lionesses.
With his contract expiring at Barcelona and eager for a new challenge, Putellas made the decision to leave his childhood club. She and her fans were upset.
She received several offers from England, Mexico and the United States, but joined American billionaire Michelle Kang’s ambitious project at London City Lionesses in July.
“I always look forward to seeing better things and that’s why I’m here too, because I always need to move as a person and as a player,” Putellas told the BBC’s Women’s Football Weekly podcast in August.
With three goals and an assist in seven WSL games for his new club, it’s clear that Putellas still deserves his nickname.
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