"I didn't watch women's football because I didn't have access" – Alexia Putellas names Lionel Messi and 4 other Barcelona legends as her role models

Barcelona superstar Alexia Putellas has named Argentina legend Lionel Messi and four other Blaugrana greats as her childhood heroes.

Putellas, 29, has established herself as one of the most renowned players in women's football over the past decade. She has helped her team lift seven La Liga titles and two UEFA Women's Champions League trophies so far, bagging two Ballon d'Or awards in the process.

Earlier last year, Putellas was asked about her childhood during an interaction with UEFA for their YouTube series 'EQUALS'. She replied:

"When I was a child, I didn't watch women's football because I basically didn't have access to it and in my house, we only watched men's football. So, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, especially Xavi [Hernandez] & [Andres] Iniesta, and Messi, they were my role models."

Putellas, who has scored 175 goals from midfield in 395 games for Barcelona, also pinpointed her women's football idols. She added:

"As I got older, I always liked Camille Abily, Louisa Necib and Nadine Kessler. They were three quality midfielders and I tried to learn what I could from them over the years."

Reflecting on her early beginnings, Putellas continued:

"I started when I was six years old or so. I played all the time in the school playground, in the town square. I don't know where I got my passion for football, because I don't have any professionals in my family, but it's true that they were very keen on Barcelona at my house, they were always watching matches."

Messi, on the other hand, etched himself as a Barcelona legend by becoming their all-time top-scorer with 672 goals in 778 matches. He also guided his club to 35 trophies between 2004 and 2021.

Barcelona keen to beat Real Madrid in race to sign 18-year-old 'Turkish Messi': Reports

According to AS, Barcelona sporting director Deco is pushing to sign Fenerbahce star Arda Guler this summer. He is aiming to beat Real Madrid and 12 other clubs in the transfer race to snap up the player.

Since making his debut in 2021, the 18-year-old has been dubbed as the "Turkish Messi" due to his similarity with the former Blaugrana attacker. The left-footed star has registered nine goals and 12 assists in 51 appearances for Fenerbahce so far. He is averaging a goal contribution at an impressive interval of every 91 minutes.

Guler, whose current contract is set to expire in June 2025, has a release clause of €17.5 million. Should he join the Catalans in the ongoing summer transfer window, he would provide competition to Raphinha on the right flank and Pedri in an advanced playmaker role.