Barça Femeni kicked off their league campaign with a 2-0 win away to Madrid CFF. Caroline Graham Hansen and Asisat Oshoala scored the goals for the Catalan side.
While she did not get on the score sheet, it was an historic game for Alexia Putellas who played her 400th game with Barcelona.
𝟒𝟎𝟎 partits, 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐚 continua fent història al Barça 💙❤️👏 pic.twitter.com/oalP4BTUUG
— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) September 16, 2023
“It’s a great source of pride for me,” Putellas said after the match. “I never imagined everything that has come after, what we have achieved, how the fans have supported us. It’s a pride, and I hope there will be many more.”
Perhaps more importantly for both player and club, Putellas played the entire game.
The two-time Ballon d’Or winner is still recovering and trying to find her form after coming back from an ACL injury. She returned towards the end of last season and was part of the Spain squad that recently won the World Cup.
Putellas became the second Barcelona to reach the 400 match milestone and joins former teammate Melanie Serrano who made 517 appearances for the club between 2004 and 2022.
It’s no surprise her rise to prominence coincided with Barcelona’s rise in the women’s game.
Among the extremely talented players Barcelona count on, she still stands above the rest. Similar to Lionel Messi, she’s become synonymous with the club and has built a following outside the sport as well.
In addition to winning a multitude of titles with Barcelona and the recent World Cup with Spain, she has been at the forefront of trying to make structural changes at the RFEF and has done the same in Barcelona.
After having reached 400 games, her next record isn’t far off as she is only two two goals behind Jennifer Hermoso for the club’s all-time scorer.