The story begins at Camp Nou. Long before 91,553 people chanted her name with equal parts awe and reverence, a starry-eyed six-year-old walked into the stadium with her father. The journey from her home took less than an hour by car. His eyes followed the men in the Blaugrana. The blue and deep red stripes that represented his childhood club. At home and at school, she never lets the ball go. His parents, the first among millions to recognize his love and talent for the sport, enrolled him in training. A few years later, 11-year-old Alexia Potelis joined her dream club, FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia.In 2012, around a month after her father’s death, Alexia returned to Barcelona after starting her senior career at Espanyol and a short spell at Levante. She was a star signing for an overlooked women’s team that didn’t even have a training pitch, looking to build itself from the ground up. The team that the then 18-year-old girl carried on her shoulders.
The girl who belonged to Camp Nou.
A decade has passed. She bowed in celebration in front of a record-breaking crowd of 91,553 at Camp Nou, Europe’s largest stadium, which chanted her name in equal measure. She had just scored against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, the biggest stage in competitive club football.“Alexia, Alexia, Alexia” was the collective, rhythmic chant that echoed through the stadium.About an hour earlier, as the city of Barcelona buzzed with anticipation, Barca Feminine were set to play their first game in front of a packed crowd at the Camp Nou. As the players entered the stadium, Alexia, the captain, was first in line. As she always was in all club matters. The stands were colored in the blue and dark red of FC Barcelona and the yellow and red of Catalonia. ‘More than empowerment,’ read the mosaic – a rallying cry that followed the team throughout the season.It was the biggest crowd the stadium had recorded all season: 5,000 more than the audience for the men’s Clásico. To understand the scale of the turnout, one must remember that the women’s team’s regular home ground is the 6,000-capacity Estadio Johan Cruyff. Real Madrid players also did not want to leave Camp Nou after losing. At the center of it all was Alexia, who led the celebration by playing the drums as she sang along with the crowd and her peers.
when Barcelona women Conquered Europe.
A year earlier, she had won her club’s first-ever Women’s Champions League treble by defeating Chelsea four goals in the final. After the victory, she became the first Spanish Ballon d’Or winner since 1960. The club then enjoyed an unprecedented 2021–22 unbeaten run, which ended only in tears as they failed to best the mighty Olympique Lyonnais Feminine. The UWCL trophy may not be hers in 2022, but Alexia became the first player to win the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award and the Ballon d’Or Feminine in consecutive years. It didn’t take a triple to recognize his individual brilliance.On July 6, 2022, FC Barcelona announced that Alexia had torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while training with the Spanish national team ahead of the Euros. She was sidelined for nearly a year as she underwent surgery and suffered one of the most challenging and devastating injuries in the sport.Returning from injury, he won his second UWCL with his team. Still, complications from his injuries followed him. Alexia could not play without pain and discomfort. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure in December 2023.Still in a precarious position after her long-term injury, Alexia started on the bench in the 2024 UWCL final. He was brought on in the 92nd minute with Barcelona protecting a one-goal lead. It took him barely a few minutes on the pitch to fire a stunning left-footed shot into the top left corner of the net. He sealed the victory as celebrations erupted at Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium. Olympique Lyonnais, the team they somehow couldn’t improve for years, finally improved.
Trailblazer’s final bow
Alexia leaves as the most decorated player in FC Barcelona history with 38 trophies, many of which she picked up while donning the captain’s armband. With more than 230 goals in more than 500 appearances, the 32-year-old midfielder is the top goalscorer in the history of the women’s team.It would be a disservice to the captain to measure his legacy only by trophies and awards. His story goes beyond tangible metrics of success. It’s also his captivating style of play – his brilliant first touch, captivating playmaking and lethal art, the way stadiums hold their breath when he has the ball, the fact that people often buy tickets to watch him play.Most importantly, her story is also about how she became a role model for young girls in sports, something she herself never was. His story is one of a trailblazer.With misty eyes, a second quadruple and a head that couldn’t possibly be higher, Alexia took his signature bow in the Blaugrana colors for the last time as his saga with FC Barcelona came to an end last week. However, his legacy is etched in history. It will live until the game is over.
