Alexia Putellas changed Spanish football forever. She was the figurehead of Barcelona’s rise before assuming a similarly influential role for Spain, helping both teams reach the very top of the game. Her decision to join London City Lionesses this summer therefore marks the end of an era.
She will be accompanied by Mapi Leon, while fellow Spain internationals Ona Batlle and Misa Rodriguez are also moving to England to join Arsenal. The transfers add a fascinating new layer to the defining international rivalry of the past five years. Spain and England contested the two most recent major finals, meeting in the deciders at both the and UEFA Women’s EURO.
Now plying her trade at Como, Veronica Boquete became one of Spain’s first leading women’s players at a time when the game still had a relatively low profile in the country. She had to move abroad to fulfil her potential and understands why her compatriots are now choosing to follow a similar path.
“I left because I had to,” Boquete told FIFA in an exclusive interview. “I think they’re leaving now because they’re looking for new challenges. They want to experience a different competition, develop in that environment and continue growing as footballers. Each of them has their own reasons, of course, but I think the experience will help them grow as players.”
Boquete believes that moving overseas can broaden a player’s horizons both on and off the pitch. “It makes you see the world differently because you live in other countries and learn how things are done elsewhere,” she explained.
“It forces you to become more open-minded and adapt to different styles, methods and types of player. Ultimately, I think it makes you a more well-rounded footballer. It certainly made me more adaptable and helped me see the game from different perspectives.”
Boquete, who earned 62 caps for Spain and was shortlisted for the 2014 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award, believes Putellas, Batlle and Leon will have to adapt to a very different footballing culture.
“The style of football played in Spain – particularly at Barça – is very distinctive,” acknowledged the Galician forward. “You dominate possession and have a great deal of control over where and how you lose the ball; in leagues such as those in England, Germany or the United States, there are far more transitions.
"You come up against players with different attributes and face a greater physical challenge because there are also more individual duels. The tactical side of the game is different in England, and I think adapting to that will be their biggest challenge, just as it was for Mariona [Caldentey] when she first arrived.”
They will also be entering an environment in which controlling matches like they did at Barcelona may prove more difficult. “It’s not uncommon to have 80 per cent possession [when playing for Barça],” Boquete said. “You always know what your options are, and your team-mates are on the same wavelength. In England, those options won’t always be as obvious.”
The departures of Putellas, Leon and Batlle mean that the core of the Spain squad will no longer be quite so heavily concentrated at Barça. They will no longer train alongside so many of their international team-mates on a daily basis and will have to adjust to a new footballing environment. Boquete, however, does not believe the change will have any adverse effect on Spain.
“Fortunately, Spain’s footballing DNA and the way we understand the game are very clearly defined,” she said. “These players will now adapt to other styles of play, but I doubt that will affect them when they return to the national team. They know exactly how to play in this team. They’ve been together for many years and understand our style of football. I think the experience will only benefit them, as they will develop a better understanding of their opponents and provide some solutions they may not have otherwise come up with.”
Nor does Boquete believe the transfers will dramatically alter the rivalry between La Roja and the Lionesses. “Knowing your opponents can give you a slight advantage, but Spain are already very familiar with England,” she said. “They know their main strengths, both as a team and as individuals. A lot also depends on the players available to each team, so I don’t think these moves will have much of an impact on the rivalry.”
The arrival of superstars like Putellas could nevertheless have an impact on the English women’s game. When a league embraces players from different footballing cultures, its style naturally begins to develop. This process has already taken place in the men’s game. The modern Premier League has been shaped by the arrival of players and coaches from continental Europe – the women’s game may now be experiencing a similar transformation.
Boquete believes the growing Spanish presence could influence the broader playing style of the Women’s Super League. “When you have players who see and play the game differently, the rest of the team also have to adapt,” she explained. “And when several players with those traits join different clubs, the competition can start moving in that direction.
“Football is constantly evolving; technical quality is becoming increasingly important because the physical side of the game is becoming more evenly matched. If you have players who can create or build play out from the back, you are more likely to play that way. When a team has a significant number of Spanish players, you would expect them to dominate possession more and place a greater emphasis on positional play than they have done before.”
With only a year remaining until the , the landscape of European women’s football is shifting. Every major transfer has the potential to alter the balance of power, and the moves involving Putellas, Leon, Batlle and Rodriguez open up intriguing possibilities for the players, their clubs and their national team.
Sources: FIFA Official
