- Back-to-back European Cup wins
- Skipper settled tie in stoppage-time
- England defender expected to move on
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Catalan giants wrapped up back-to-back European Cup wins when seeing off old adversaries Lyon 2-0 in the 2024 final. Two-time Ballon d’Or Feminin winner Putellas stepped off the bench in that contest to record Barca’s second goal of the game – with fellow Golden Ball winner Aitana Bonmati having fired them in front.
WHAT BRONZE SAID
Lionesses star Bronze, who is seeing questions asked of her future, told DAZN of working alongside iconic forward Putellas: “Alexia is the captain of the team and she’s the Queen of Barcelona for a reason. She’s always so confident in the team and she showed today why she is a back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner. She’s got the quality to do that in the last minute of the Champions League final when we were up against it at the end and it just sealed the win for us. It was amazing.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Putellas’ strike arrived in the 95th minute, allowing Barcelona to relax at the end of a keenly-fought contest that has seen them maintain continental dominance. Bronze added: “We knew that’s what we needed to be a club that really made history. It’s hard to win it once, but to do it back-to-back, Lyon showed how difficult it is and this team has finally done that. I think we go down in history as one of the best teams in Europe.”
WHAT NEXT?
Bronze is approaching the end of her contract at Barcelona, meaning that another move could be on the cards. The 32-year-old defender has seen a switch to NWSL in the United States speculated on, rather than return to her roots in England.
