After months of rumours about her future, Catarina Macario has left Chelsea amid persistent questions about her contract, particularly after it was reported that she declined a contract extension from the club. The USWNT player completes a permanent move to San Diego Wave, bringing her three-year spell in London to an end. This transfer announcement comes a significant period of time after the NWSL winter window closed and after the Chelsea manager confirmed she was still a Chelsea player just a mere nine days ago.
She joined Chelsea in July 2022 from Lyon, arriving on a free while recovering from a ruptured ACL injury sustained in 2022. She was managed in France at the time by Sonia Bompastor, and there were rumours that her departure was influenced by a strained relationship with the head coach, as well as Lyon's reluctance to commit long-term to a player dealing with repeated setbacks. As a result of injury,s she did not make her Chelsea debut until March 2024.
She described her move back to the USA as “Hon, ey, I am home”.
She made her first appearance and scored from her first touch as a late substitute in a 4-0 victory over Leicester City before netting the winning goal away at Everton in the FA Cup. She made 59 appearances and scored 15 goals. She played a more significant role under Emma Hayes and helped Chelsea win the WSL title in her last season.
However, her Chelsea career has again been disrupted by injury, preventing glimpses of excellence like a powerful header in last season's FA Cup win. She has been absent for long stretches this season.
In her farewell statement, Macario reflected on her time at Chelsea with honesty and nuance:
“As I say farewell to Chelsea, I do so with a mix of pride and reflection — for the lessons learned, the challenges faced, and the moments that shaped me along the way.
There are memories I’ll always cherish and so many people I’m grateful to have shared this journey with.
To the Chelsea fans, thank you for your support. It never went unnoticed, and I will always carry you in my heart. I wish things had unfolded differently and that we could have achieved more together, but not everything goes the way you hope.”
The interesting line is “I wish things had unfolded differently and that we could have achieved more together, but not everything goes the way you hope.” This is her reflecting on her injuries or her limited minutes under the French manager. It is most definitely cryptic.
She also went to thank Emma Hayes, Paul Green and Todd Boehly for bringing her to the club. She did not mention Bompastor at all in the message. Including Green could be interesting as a clear message that she could be leaving due to the hierarchical changes, and Green leaving a man who has been integral in the growth and success of the women's game.
Despite the interruptions caused by injury, she leaves with a record of decisive goals in major matches and a reputation for technical quality and composure on the biggest stages.
There is concern that,t as a result,t Niamh Charles will move out of Chelsea. It has been reported that they are in a relationship and, therefore, a summer move for Charles could occur if they wish to be on the same continent. Her contract runs until summer 2027 so if she was to move a club would have to pay her exit clause.
One thing is for sure: re this summer will be a period of transition as the club's leadership changes, and it is expected that the Chelsea of this season and next could be very different indeed.
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