In a surprising turn of events, Spanish forward Esther González’s exit from Gotham FC late last month unfolded further on Sunday with an unexpected announcement of her joining a new team.
González has inked a deal with Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Women’s Premier League. This comes after Gotham FC’s July announcement, stating that she was leaving the NWSL club to “attend to personal matters in Spain.”
The revelation that the 2025 NWSL MVP finalist swiftly signed with another team, mere weeks following her departure, has certainly caught many off guard.
Back when Gotham FC announced the “mutual contract termination,” the club expressed warm wishes for González and her family, noting her return to Spain.
A well-informed source disclosed to The Post that the goodbye messages from Gotham were underlined with an understanding that González would be taking a break from the pitch, not signing with a new team just a month later.
González arrived to Gotham in 2023 shortly after she helped Spain win the 2023 World Cup, and during her time with the club, she won two NWSL titles. She had been signed through the 2027 NWSL season at the time of her departure.
She scored the winning goal in the NWSL final in 2023 and scored 13 goals during the 2025 regular season en route to Gotham’s second league title. González was also part of the squad that won the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup in 2025.
Gotham’s president of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West said in a statement last month when González left that she was “a model professional on and off the field.”
González said at the time that Gotham would “always hold a very special place in my heart.”
Gotham has not publicly addressed the news, though the club was in action on Sunday in Los Angeles.