Chelsea Women: Catarina Macario, west London’s newest multifaceted superstar

After weeks of speculation, the Chelsea Women confirm the signing of the former Lyon attacker Catarina Macario on a three-year deal.

On June 7, the USWNT attacker Catarina Macario announced her departure from Lyon after three years and a Champions League crown last season. Two days later, the Chelsea Women introduced her as the club’s newest No. 9. Don’t read into the number too much because the former Lyon star is far more than just a goal-scorer.

It is clear from the players that Emma Hayes brought in last season that she seeks versatility across the board. Macario, who penned a three-year deal with the west Londoners’ on Friday defines exactly what that word means. It has been quite a busy few weeks for Hayes and the Blues since lifting the Women’s Super League title in Berkshire county, but locking up a player like Macario that is the biggest piece of news yet. Sam Kerr has become the face of this club since her arrival in 2020, but with time, the 2021 Champions League winner is bound to be next in line.

Under Vlatko Andonovski on the USWNT, the new CFCW No. 9 has shown she can contribute as one of the players across the front-three. During her final few matches with the stars and stripes, Andonovski deployed her as a “false nine” which broke down the competition at the SheBelieves Cup 2022 with ease.

Last season including the Champions League final with French juggernauts, Macario demonstrated her ability to cause opponents fits in the No. 10 role, where she is more likely going to play for the west London outfit. It is little concerning that she has not played football in over a year now, but given that she is ruled out for the World Cup, her attention is going to be 100 percent on getting back on the pitch for the next WSL campaign. Some may say that at Chelsea the No. 9 shirt is cursed, but on the women’s side Macario is simply following in the footsteps of one of the club’s greats.

After winning back to back MAC Hermann Trophies during her sophomore and junior years at Stanford University in California, the Brazilian-born American went straight into the professional game. The now 23-year-old scored 63 goals in just 69 appearances for the Cardinal before moving to France to play with the most decorated women’s football club in the world.

At just 20 years of age, the USWNT star scored five games into her career with Les Lyonnaises. Sure, there may have been nerves moving to her second new country within eight years, but it looked like from the get-go that this player was born to play professional football. Macario would go on and score five goals within her next four games after breaking through against Dijon in 11 minutes after the start of the second half for her first goal. Even on the international stage after she received American citizenship, the former Flamengo academy player netted a goal in her second match with the defending World Cup winners.

Adding Catarina Macario to this attack brings a new found excitement that is bound to flourish alongside the plethora of world-class players already in the squad.

She was the catalyst to the most potent attack in the French top-flight last year. The Blues’ No. 9 is both sensational in tight spaces and with her back against the goal. Her ability to create for herself in addition to finding her teammates in the final third is credit to the mature intelligence she has built so early in her career. The Brazilian native has the pace and elusiveness with and without the ball the attack is going to need without Pernille Harder.

Only Paris Saint-Germain striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto had more goal contributions than Macario throughout the 2021/2022 Division 1 Féminine campaign. There was not an offensive statistic in which she did not sit at the top of the charts.

Despite the fact that she is one of the most dangerous players in the world with the ball at her feet, Macario has shown a tendency to make a difference when her team does not have possession. The two-time SheBelieves Cup champion attempted the second-most challenges on Lyon in during her second season. Similar to Kerr or Harder coming to London, this is a historic move that will help build on the continued successes of the club.

Upon her move to the United Kingdom, Marcario expressed her joy about joining the now four-time defending WSL winners:

"“I’m really happy to sign for Chelsea and I hope to represent the jersey well over the next few years…I’m looking forward to linking up with so many good forward players such as Sam, Lauren James and Guro. It will be good to play with Kadeisha again also.”"

Maika Hamano, Nicky Evrard, Sjoeke Nusken, and now Macario. The frightening part for the rest of the pack is that the west Londoners are not even done yet. Hayes may not add as many players to the squad compared to last summer’s window, but the quality that has been brought to in 2023 west London is remarkable.

The sky is truly the limit for Macario as she becomes the second European champion in the last two offseason transfer windows to join the Blues. Her shirt may read No. 9 on the back, but the USWNT attacker is far from what a traditional football fan would think as a player donning that number. It is tough to see the old guard depart west London after storied careers, but it is the culture under Hayes and signings like these that make the transition a lot easier.