Coach Jonatan Giraldez of Barcelona Femeni chooses to step down at the end of the season.

  Head coach of Barcelona Femeni Jonatan Giraldez has decided to depart the team at the end of the season and notified the club of his decision.

Giraldez has chosen to leave, even though Barcelona intends to extend his contract; he has rejected their offer.

The 32-year-old made his decision and told the coaching staff and board, but the players were in the dark.

Giraldez's expectations were not met by Barcelona's financial deal, and he has received a larger offer from the NWSL.

After winning it all with Barcelona, the Spaniard is eager to play in a different league and experience a new environment.  

In his first season as head coach and his second after joining, he guided the team to its second Champions League triumph ever last season. 

He has also won Liga F, the League Cup, and the Copa de la Reina in his two seasons as head coach.

Following the resignation of Markel Zubizarreta, the sporting director, a few months ago, Giraldez will be the second high-profile departure from Barcelona.

 Additionally, the club still has key players whose contract renewals are pending: Alexia Putellas, Sandra Panos, Asisat Oshoala, Mapi Leon, Lucy Bronze, Marta Torrejon, Gemma Font, and Mariona Caldentey.

Giraldez wants to do something never done before: win all four titles before the end of the season. During their inaugural Champions League year in 2021, Barcelona was unable to secure the Spanish Super Cup. Additionally, Barcelona was eliminated from the competition last year due to Geyse Ferreira's illegitimate selection in a Copa de la Reina match versus Osasuna.

So what's next for Barcelona?

The team is already considering Giraldez's potential replacement. Natalia Arroyo is one of the coaches the team would take into consideration if an outsider were to apply, but in the past several years, the team has consistently chosen an internal candidate.

Lluis Cortes, Fran Sanchez's assistant coach, took over as manager after Sanchez was fired.

Giraldez, one of Cortes's technical staff members, took over after he left.

By this reasoning, one of the names that is gaining traction is Rafael Navarro, who serves as both Cortes' technical staff member and Giraldez's assistant coach.