How Alexia Putellas has London City Lionesses thinking about really winning

London City Lionesses chief executive Martin Semmens says the club’s Instagram page has generated 34m hits since Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or, according to The Guardian Women’s Football. Next up is Manchester City at Hayes Lane, Bromley, on Sunday, a meeting of two clubs with seven of the top 30 players in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

The independent club, owned by businesswoman Michele Kang, are third in the top flight. Semmens credits Putellas with changing how the whole club thinks.

“Her impact on our commercial business is extraordinary,” he said. “From a leadership point of view, she allows us to start thinking about really winning. The environment today feels like it can beat Man City on Sunday and that’s a lot down to her.”

The money

Putellas has 3.7m Instagram followers, and Semmens said she and her brand were pivotal in landing what the club claim is the largest front-of-shirt sponsorship deal in the women’s game, with Nike. The club say it is worth more than Atlanta’s NWSL sponsorship of $4m (£3m) a year. “It’s insanely big,” Semmens said.

Signing her was not simple after 14 years at Barcelona. Semmens said Kang had a major influence, recalling Putellas telling him: “Well, she said she was going to do all this stuff and she’s done it. So I want to be part of that.”

The questions

The Guardian Women’s Football reported that London City recorded an operating loss of more than 10 times their revenue for the 2024-25 season. The WSL has since introduced salary cap rules: a player wage bill can’t exceed 80% of revenue, plus up to £4m or a further 25% of revenue (whichever is higher). Points deductions could apply from this season. “We are 100% within the rules, we will always be,” Semmens said, adding the aim is to be profitable within five years.

Kang also owns OL Lyonnes, which raises a question about Women’s Champions League eligibility under Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules. Semmens said: “One hundred per cent, it can be resolved.” That has not been settled yet.

London City are three points off Chelsea and Manchester City. “This is probably the No 1 game in the women’s game in the world this weekend,” Semmens said.

Her take

This is the clearest proof yet that one star can move a whole club’s ceiling, not just its follower count. We love the ambition. But invest-first only looks smart if the cap math and the Uefa question break their way, and “trust us” is not the same as an answer. Sunday is the first real test of whether the belief matches the bankroll.