themanbexl

[themanbexl]

saw a passing comment that Swedish TV aired a short interview (in English!) with Alexia before the semi-final. Managed to find it :') www*svt*se/sport/fotboll/alexia-putellas-ord-om-tuffa-tiden-en-av-de-varsta-skadorna

alexia's english is great. she's just nonchalant about speaking it. 😅

yeah, even if we just focus on olga in a footballing sense, i honestly don't think she's all that useful aside from some long balls here and there. but she's become more of a liability with patri and alexia having to clean up after her than anything else 🤷‍♀️

[themanbexl]

today's the day and no matter the outcome, what these women have done for spanish women's football cannot be understated 😮‍💨

source: uefa.tv

translation under the cut:

the doors to a historic final for spain on a personal level, with everything you've experienced in your career. what does this match mean to you, and what goes through your mind when you think about what you're about to experience?

well, it's another opportunity. i've been lucky enough to play in many finals throughout my career, but we haven't had the opportunity to play in this one, so i'm very excited and eager for it to arrive, and i want to do everything right so we can win.

spain has always managed to stay true to its style throughout this tournament, as we've seen, playing with a lot of personality and looking for the ball. what would you highlight about the football you're showing in this euro and what do you think sets you apart from the rest?

well, i think it's a bit of an understanding of where the spaces are. there have been games where we've been able to play more inside, and there have been others where, as the tournament has progressed, they've completely blocked the central lane, so we've gone outside. understanding that is also one of our strengths, i think, understanding where the space is to be able to move forward, and i think that throughout the tournament the team has done very well. then there could be technical mistakes in or decision-making, but in general, i think all the decisions that have been made have been very good during the game.

if you could go back for a moment to being that little girl who dreamed of playing football when you first started out, training at mollet in sabadell, what do you think you would say to yourself if you could see yourself now, part of a generation that is changing the history of spanish football? 

i wouldn't have believed it, either that i would be one of those players or that we would now be where we are, enjoying such a high-profile, visible and incredible european championship. i don't think that at that time, if you asked anyone where women's football would be now, it would have been unimaginable, so i wouldn't have believed that i would be here today. 

and to do what happens in this final, alexia, you know, a mirror for many girls who now see as possible what once seemed like a distant dream. what message would you like to leave them and also to the entire audience that has accompanied you on this journey? 

well, the message we've tried to convey above all on the pitch is to enjoy yourselves, to see yourselves reflected in the team, in what we convey, in our idea of what football is, what the spectacle is and that competitiveness to win. above all, i hope it has inspired many people to bring out the best in themselves, whatever they do for a living and also on a personal level.

[themanbexl]

https://www.tumblr.com/didalexiabreakupwitholgaisback/790164607275859968/happy-19th-birthday-to-this-lil-demon?source=share

Alexia sneaking the little Stitch on it too! 😂

it’s so cute!! 🥰 and she has a stitch pen or something too!

source: anaescober on instagram

[themanbexl]

happy 19th birthday to this lil demon 😈 (how cute that they gave her a "it's my birthday" ribbon to wear)

source: sefutbolfem on twitter

[themanbexl]

it's the smirk for me 😏

bonus: more crazy training games from montse (trying to copy pere 😅)

[themanbexl]

post nap alexia. i aspire to be having the amount of sleep in one day that this woman has 😴

[themanbexl]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMdnGoCCnEu/?igsh=MWVpdzV1NjB4cTN2OQ==

Dando ataques al ❤ cada 5 minutos.

jajajaj tal cual. we are reliving the match through the bench. look at leila 😭

[themanbexl]

https://x.com/gxaldePina/status/1948687185776972281

they are so cute!!

Patri helping cata

Alexia waiting there🧍🏼‍♀️ until someone is available to hug her

Ona and Mario being cute

Olga nervously trying to sneak into Alexia's arms🙄 (stay away from her!!)

this is like New Years when you are trying to figure out which people you haven hug yet!

well, it's barça tradition to do hugs before kickoff so we are continuing in that glorious tradition but this is indeed such a wholesome tradition!

but the video cut off before we saw cata and alexia’s iconic kiss and handshake!!😭

[themanbexl]

game knows game 🫡

[themanbexl]

bonmatellas my beloved 💙❤️

[themanbexl]

alexia on the saintly APA midfield 😇

source: daznfootball on twitter

you have a bit of an advantage because you've already experienced it. the same thing happens with aitana, patri, and me. we've played so many games and we understand each other. we know where each other's strengths are, practically without speaking. we know how we can exploit each other's strengths, always with the goal of improving and helping the team.

as the seasons progress, the three of us become more complete and can perform more roles, not just one. so it's difficult to describe each of us with just one quality.

[themanbexl]

such class in one photoset 😮‍💨

[themanbexl]

rest assured, alexia is not going anywhere! 💙❤️

source: mundodeportivo on twitter

your contract ends in 2026, do you want to continue or try new experiences?

well, i think this would also lead to a debate and it would be quite a long answer, which i wouldn't like, but for me, constantly reinventing myself every year being in a club like barça is not exactly being in a comfort zone. you're constantly on the edge as a finalist, and that has its complications, so i've always approached each season as a challenge to reinvent myself, to keep growing, to become more complete, to improve absolutely everything you have. but what is clear is that barça is the club of my life, and as long as i think i can help make the team or the club better, i'm going to do it, so the decision will always be backed by that.

[themanbexl]

I want Leila to come back to barça so bad 😮‍💨 she's so far from the girls and now she'll be all alone without Laia 💔

sadly, that ship has long sailed, but leila for barça was such a vibe. we love her! 💙❤️

[themanbexl]

https://x.com/swissskinny/status/1948132118082490608?s=46

https://x.com/vanesacortazar/status/1948317414338245004?s=46

https://x.com/aleputellas/status/1948202720566894854?s=46

A bit more fun after yesterday😅

these are great. aitana learning through osmosis:

aitana being the super cute agent she is:

the real motivation for aitana:

[themanbexl]

Loved everything about Keira's press conference! I always love to hear positives about the barça girls, they are all family - past and present! So many lovely points she told

it was super sweet to hear keira's kind words about aitana 🥹

source: hayterstv on twitter

[themanbexl]

The WSL being 90% behind a paywall on Sky sports seems like a really stupid idea to me the women's game is nowhere near ready for that. Then add in the games all kicking off at the same time making it even harder to watch the games it really seems like the wpll or whatever they're called now is actively trying to sabotage the growth of the women's game in the UK.

To name a few things we've had a shitty rebrand, terrible reffing standards, top clubs throwing money at players while bottom of the table clubs get away with doing the bare minimum, then we had them actively trying to get rid of relegation, just to name a few of their god awful management decisions, add in hiding 90% of the games behind a paywall and it's becoming more and more questionable what the end game is here because it's not growing the women's game.