May 26 (Reuters) - Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas will leave Barcelona after 14 seasons at her childhood club, the Spanish side announced on Tuesday, with the 32-year-old departing as a free agent when her contract expires.
The midfielder's decision comes after she helped Barcelona beat OL Lyonnes 4-0 on Saturday to secure a fourth European crown for herself and the club, signing off from the competition with another commanding campaign in which shewas named the best player in this season's Women's Champions League.
Competing in her sixth Champions League final in a row for the Catalan side, Putellas was central to a Barcelona team that scored four times in the second half to beat Lyon, the competition's most successful club with eight titles.
"The midfielder's 14-goal contributions were more than any other player; she scored seven times and assisted seven goals during Barcelona's successful campaign, which culminated in a 4-0 win against Lyon in the final," UEFA's technical group said in its assessment that announced Putellas as the player of the season.
The Spanish international had appeared emotional in recent matches and public appearances but delayed making her decision public so as not to interfere with Barcelona's preparations for the final or the celebrations that followed.
After months of reflection, and with the immediate celebrations now over, Putellas has decided the time has come to move on.
Putellas will say goodbye to the club at an event at Camp Nou stadium on Wednesday.
"In this way, the Club recognises the legacy left by a footballer who has become a benchmark on and off the pitch and who has made women's football grow around the world," Barcelona said in a statement.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas, additional reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
