How Esmee Brugts helped convince Renee van Asten to join Barça Femení

FC Barcelona Femení continue rebuilding their squad after another historic campaign in 2025/26. The Catalan side completed a remarkable quadruple, defeating OL Lyonnes in the UEFA Women's Champions League final (4:0) before also lifting Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Super Cup.

Despite another dominant season, Barcelona have said goodbye to several of the team's most experienced players. Alexia Putellas and Mapi León both joined London City Lionesses, Ona Batlle moved to Arsenal, and Salma Paralluelo completed a transfer to OL Lyonnes.

The club has already begun reinforcing key areas of the squad, particularly in defence. Barcelona announced the return of academy graduate Martina Fernández, while Dutch defender Renee Van Asten has arrived from Ajax. The 19-year-old centre-back was officially presented at the Spotify Camp Nou alongside club president Joan Laporta and Xavi Puig, Barcelona's director of women's football.

Speaking for the first time as a Barcelona player, Van Asten admitted that "my heart raced" when she received the club's call. She also revealed that several clubs had shown interest in signing her, but she chose Barcelona because she believed it was the right next step in her career.

Big year for van Asten

Van Asten enjoyed a breakthrough 2025/26 campaign that attracted the attention of some of Europe's biggest clubs. She was named the Eredivisie's Talent of the Year after helping Ajax finish second behind PSV. Her impressive form also earned her a first senior Netherlands call-up. She made her debut against France, started the match, played the full 90 minutes and even found the back of the net.

Having progressed rapidly through the ranks after beginning her football journey in boys' teams, Van Asten now arrives at Barcelona hoping to help fill the void left by Mapi León's departure.

Standing at 1.72 metres, Van Asten combines physicality with composure. She is an aggressive defender who thrives in one-on-one duels, but one of her greatest strengths is her ability to play out from the back—a quality that became one of Mapi León's trademarks at Barcelona.

Two young dutch stars

Despite being only 19, she already shows remarkable calmness in possession, regularly carrying the ball forward and helping build attacks from defence. At her unveiling, Van Asten also spoke about the defenders who have influenced her game. She highlighted Manchester United's Lisandro Martínez and Fenerbahçe's Edson Álvarez as two of her biggest inspirations. "They're both very aggressive players who bring a lot of bite to their game."

Van Asten will also have a familiar face waiting for her in Barcelona. Fellow Dutch international Esmee Brugts played an important role in convincing her to make the move. During both a phone call and a face-to-face conversation, Brugts encouraged her not to think twice about joining the Catalan club.

Van Asten also reflected on what it means to wear Barcelona's colours and mentioned Johan Cruyff, one of the club's greatest icons: "When I found out Barça wanted me, I felt it was a huge honour, and I still feel that way. Just hearing my name mentioned alongside Cruyff's is already an incredible honour."