Laura Ràfols

A graduate from Barça B, which she joined at the age of 15, Ràfols made her first team debut on August 29, 2007 in a Copa Catalunya match against Europa, when the Barça team was playing in the second division of Spanish football. After alternating in the goal with teammates such as Cristina Molina and Eli Sarasola, she became the first choice stopper in the 2012/13 season, at the height of the team's first era of major success.

She retired in 2018 before turning 27 years of age to concentrate on a career in physical therapy. She had an enviable record, with 135 clean sheets in 216 games played and only 120 goals conceded.

She left football in the best possible way, lifting the 2017/18 Queen's Cup and gaining notoriety when she prevented the president of the Spanish Federation from removing the Catalan flag from the champions' trophy.

Days later, Ràfols remembered her beginnings in the world of football, when she was little: “I started playing with boys. 'There's a girl on the other team!', they’d say... On the junior team I wanted to be a forward, but the coach never gave me a chance. Because I was a girl. One day the goalkeeper was away and I volunteered to play there.”

Ràfols now works as a fitness trainer for Barça B Femenino and the men's first futsal team. She is also a director of the Catalan Football Federation.

Career

• Seasons at club: 2007-18
• Appearances: 216
• Goals conceded: 120

Honours

• Four Ligas: 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15
• Five Copa de la Reina: 2010/11, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2016/17, 2017/18
• Eight Copa Catalunya: 2009/10, 2020/11, 2012/12, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18