Esther Gonzalez's Saudi Move: A World Cup Winner, a Sudden Exit, and a Storm of Criticism

In July 2026, Esther Gonzalez agreed to leave her club, Gotham FC, saying she needed to "attend to personal matters in Spain." Less than a month later, the Spanish World Cup winner signed for Al Qadsiah in the Saudi Women's Premier League on a contract running until 2027 (BBC Sport).

The speed of the reversal has angered fans and player advocates alike.

Gonzalez is openly gay and married, with a first child born in January. Same-sex relationships and sexual activity are illegal in Saudi Arabia. According to Spanish outlet El Mundo, she has deleted all photos of herself with her wife and their child from social media since the move (BBC Sport).

Her departure from Gotham was framed as a mutual contract termination, a deal cancellation agreed by both club and player. Her contract had been due to run until 2027. On Instagram, she called the exit "due to strictly personal reasons" (BBC Sport). Gotham supporters have voiced frustration at both the messaging around her departure and the fact that the club received no transfer fee for a player who could have commanded one (BBC Sport).

Al Qadsiah announced the signing on a Sunday. The club finished fourth in the Saudi Women's Premier League in 2025-26 (BBC Sport). For Gonzalez, the move continues a career built on winning. She lifted the 2023 World Cup with Spain, then won two NWSL titles (the top-flight league in the United States), an NWSL Challenge Cup, and the Concacaf W Champions Cup — the regional club championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean — across three seasons after joining from Real Madrid (BBC Sport).

Openly gay footballer Jake Daniels described the move as a "slap in the face" (BBC Sport). The criticism from the LGBTQ+ community has drawn comparisons to England midfielder Jordan Henderson, who moved to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in 2023 and faced a fierce backlash over the country's record on LGBTQ+ rights. Henderson left after six months (BBC Sport).

What makes this move land differently is the personal dimension. Gonzalez presented her Gotham exit as a private matter requiring her return to Spain. Instead, within weeks she was unveiled by a Saudi club whose country criminalises the very relationship she lives in. The deleted photographs only sharpen the unease. Whether the gap between stated reasons and actual outcome damages her standing with fans is something she now plays in front of, match by match.