It wasn’t a Champions League final. It wasn’t a Ballon d’Or gala, nor a match with huge implications in the table. But for Alexia Putellas, the clash with Real Sociedad Femenino was two hours lived with emotions running high. It was the queen’s final dance at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

One last time

The final arrival at the stadium. The final warm-up. The final walk onto the pitch to the strains of her Barça anthem. The last time wearing the captain’s armband on her left arm.

The stands, packed with fans carrying banners and shirts to bid farewell to their idol properly. Before kick-off, she presented them with Barça’s fourth Champions League title. Her fourth too.

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One last assist

In the 11th minute, chants of “Alexia, Alexia” rang out louder than ever from the culers who did not want to miss the occasion. She heard them, and surely felt the emotion too. But competitive to the very last second, she kept her focus on the match.

With the score at 1-1 just past the half-hour mark, a touch from Alexia turned into an assist heavy with symbolism for Aitana Bonmatí, who made it 2-1.

There would be no more goals. Her own never came, but that hardly mattered. She searched for it, but instead found what she had always had. Everyone’s affection. In the 81st minute she left the pitch, without tears, she had already shed them this morning, and with one of those nostalgic smiles, thinking about everything she had lived through with her lifetime club. She departed through a guard of honour formed by teammates and opponents alike, with the entire Johan Cruyff on its feet.

One last ovation

On the bench, there was little more than a quarter of an hour left to think, remember and take it all in emotionally. Then, after the final whistle, came her last words to those who had always been there.

The loyal supporters at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

The same fans who, on 7 September 2019, celebrated the first goal for women’s team at the stadium. A goal she scored herself.

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One last song

“I want to speak to all of you." she said after the final whistle. "Thank you so much for believing from the very beginning. Everything has a beginning and an end, but the journey has been beautiful and I will always carry you in my heart. We’ve lived through so many unforgettable nights together. Now I stop being a player and become a Barça fan once again, supporting a team that next year will celebrate again.”

But because the queen did not want “this to be sad”, she ended by singing Un Día de Partit together with everyone in the stadium. And then came the lap of honour, alone, bringing a perfect ending for a truly irreplaceable footballer.

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