Not even the sight of construction cranes could spoil Barcelona Femení’s return to the upgraded Spotify Camp Nou. More than 1,000 days on from their last appearance there, the stadium felt like home again. The red carpet was rolled out, a mosaic reading “El nostre camí” — “our path” — greeted the players, and an occasion that was as symbolic as it was celebratory unfolded.
Over 60,000 fans, the fourth-highest crowd in competition history, packed the ground to watch Europe’s most feared side strengthen their bid for a fourth Champions League title. Barca had already beaten Real Madrid five times this season; this night’s 6-0 win, and 12-2 aggregate triumph, was perhaps the most emphatic. Captain Alexia Putellas, making her 500th club appearance, was at the centre of it.
Putellas has long been made for big occasions. With Aitana Bonmatí still recovering from injury, Putellas luxuriated in the spotlight, directing play and dominating midfield. Barcelona’s free-flowing attack has been relentless — the side scored 15 goals across three meetings with Real over eight days — and Putellas was a key figure in that barrage.
She scored, registered two assists, and produced moments of craft and control, including a no-look pass to set up Caroline Graham Hansen’s second. She had 102 touches (second only to Patri Guijarro’s 122) and completed 73 accurate passes. When she was substituted in the 83rd minute, the stadium rose to applaud her contribution; fans remained to commemorate her 500th appearance, and teammates handed the captain’s armband back to her after the match, a small but telling gesture of her standing within the squad.
Putellas has now scored 15 times against Real — more than any other opponent in her career — and her influence stretches beyond goals. Her feints, sudden changes of direction and ability to bend a game drew roars throughout the evening, and the crowd’s chants pushed the atmosphere higher.
Since making her Barca debut in 2012, Putellas has been part of the club’s rise from relative domestic obscurity to European dominance. Barcelona’s supremacy on nights like this has become expected, yet the mission remains clear and driven.
If Barcelona overcome Bayern Munich in the semi-final, they will face the winners of Arsenal vs Lyon. Those who followed last year will recall Arsenal’s shock win in Lisbon’s final; a repeat showdown is possible this May, and it is a prospect Putellas would welcome.