Despite all the trophies and individual awards Alexia Putellas has won throughout her career, there’s still something missing: an international accolade.
The Spain and Barcelona midfielder has won everything there is to win at club level, including multiple Champions Leagues and league titles, as well as two Ballon d’Ors and FIFA Best Player awards. Yet, on the international stage, she remains trophy-less.
Speaking to Highsnobiety just days after being announced as the newest member of the Team Oakley family, Putellas admits that she's aiming to change her international draught at this year’s FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which starts on July 20.
Putellas, who has over 100 caps for her national side, is looking to help Spain to their best ever World Cup finish this time around, following a previous best round of 16 exit in 2019.
And while this is, of course, her main goal, Putellas admits that she also wants the tournament itself to be seen as a moment of celebration for women’s football and an opportunity to grow the sport even further.
“Being on this global stage gives me another platform to advocate for equality in sports,” Putellas tells Highsnobiety. “Football is a reflection of our culture. A lot of the issues we face around sexism, homophobia, and more are issues we face in the wider culture.
“I have the opportunity to use my voice and my platform, and I certainly plan to in the lead-up to the World Cup and beyond.”
There's no denying the strides women's football has made over the last few years. According to a study commissioned by WSC Sports, growth in followers of the World Cup in particular is set to increase by 57 percent from 929 million in 2019, to 1.472 billion this year.
Still, despite such substantial growth, Putellas is adamant that there’s still more work to be done. “During my childhood, I really only saw men playing football," she says. "So continuing to increase the visibility of successful women in this sport will help break down preconceived notions of who can play football."
“Giving voice to women and girls who might not think they can partake is a huge passion of mine. I want everyone to feel open and free to be who they are – seeing someone be authentic to who they are on and off the pitch is one of the most beautiful things to witness.”
Putellas, who will be looking to earn her 103rd cap for Spain during the nation’s World Cup opener against Costa Rica on July 21, made her international back in 2013. Since then the midfielder has become one of the greatest (if not the greatest) footballers in the world, and remains an integral part of the Spanish set-up.
So when I ask Putellas, a player who's almost achieved everything there is to achieve in the sport, her goals with a more long-term mindset, instead of turning to trophies and more accolades, she immediately focuses on the ongoing off-field issues.
“Being a woman in any male-dominated field is hard," she says. "We’re often seen as ‘female footballers’ while in reality what we want is to stand side by side with our male counterparts; we’re all just football players.”
“I want to pave the way for younger women and girls, so they know that this beautiful game is meant for everyone. There may be young girls out there looking up to me and they will eventually carry the torch for our sport, so it’s very important that I help them feel empowered to be their best.”
