Link: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/aug/28/esther-gonzalez-saudi-arabia-gotham-nwsl

The striker’s surprise signing for Al Qadsiah after leaving Gotham sparked questions of professionalism and raised concerns of LGBTQ+ fans

I am certainly affronted

González missed Gotham’s bout in the Fifa Women’s Champions Cup in January while her partner, Estefanía Cruz, gave birth to their first child. Why would she turn around and sign with a team in a country that criminalizes same-sex relations? We don’t know what her personal life looks like now, or what it will look like in Khobar, and we don’t have the right to. However, given what she has shared about her family in the past, her signing is inevitably a jolt. A report by El Mundo this week claimed she has deleted several Instagram posts featuring Cruz and their child. González’s personal life aside, any international player joining the SWPL is seen as an affront by LGBTQ+ soccer fans, who are fundamental to the sport around the world.

All she needs to do now is publicly support Donald Trump and her villain arc will be cemented.