If women's football fans thought Katie McCabe's move from Arsenal to direct rivals Chelsea would be the biggest shock, this move will have you stunned in more ways than one.
Esther Gonzalez once had the football fairytale with Gotham FC, winning trophies, scoring 13 goals last season, becoming an NWSL MVP finalist, and eventually breaking Gotham's all-time scoring record. Then, nine days later, she announced she had terminated her contract and decided to step away from football to “attend to personal matters in Spain”. She described this at the time as “strictly personal reasons”. But less than a month later, she signed for Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Women's Premier League.
While others have made this move before, the circumstances around hers are unparalleled: she is a World Cup winner and a key player in Gotham's recent success.
But what has disturbed fans most is that she is openly in a relationship with a woman with whom she shares a child. This is illegal in Saudi Arabia and punishable by death in some circumstances. While we will never know the true extent of what has occurred behind closed doors, if her partner were to move out with her, it would not be the first time the law has been bent for a footballer. For example, Ronaldo was allowed to live with his partner even though they were not married, and it was against the law.
In 2024, 135 female footballers signed a petition calling on FIFA to end its sponsorship deal with Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco, citing concerns including the country's treatment of women and LGBTQ+ people.
This move has drawn widespread media criticism and was initiated only after reports in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo claimed that González deleted photographs of Cruz and their child from her social media accounts after signing for Al Qadsiah.
It begs the question: why go to a country that does not accept you for who you are and that instead criminalises you?
It is also reported that Gotham did not expect Gonzalez to sign for another club so soon after her departure, and this could raise questions about the circumstances of the mutual termination of her contract, which was supposed to see her through the 2026 season.
If the club genuinely believed she was stepping away from football, what was agreed when the contract was terminated?
Was there any understanding about whether she could immediately sign elsewhere?
And if Gotham did not expect her to move to another club, why did they agree to release a player who could potentially have commanded a transfer fee?
A case study is Adriana, who moved to the same club in January 2025 from Orlando Pride, with the move reportedly costing $500,000. So Gotham would have had a financial reason, especially since Gonzalez is a high-profile, experienced international star.
The final element of this saga is the money, with the NWSL operating with a salary-cap structure and clubs going financially beyond for Sam Kerr, even though the best players in the league face financial limits from clubs. But Saudi Arabia has a different financial environment and is more likely to splash cash, as it has historically. The women's league is significant, with state and associated investment in football infrastructure and competitions.
While we do not know the full story or the extent of what has happened behind closed doors, what we do know is that a player who appeared to be stepping away from football in Spain has instead returned to the professional game almost immediately, joining a Saudi league that is rapidly investing in its global profile.
That creates uncomfortable questions about money, player security, club-player relationships, women's football's values and the growing influence of Saudi investment in the sport.
This move ultimately exposes a tension women's football will have to confront: the growing league in the Middle East, whose culture contradicts that of Western women's football. Some may call her hypocritical for moving to a country where she and her fans could not be safe.
The more uncomfortable conclusion is that both things can be true: a player can have legitimate reasons for accepting an opportunity in Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the football world can legitimately question what it means for the sport when one of its most celebrated players becomes the most prominent female footballer yet to join the Saudi project.
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