The Spanish player signed with Al Qadsiah and deleted Instagram posts with her wife after arriving in a country where homosexual relationships are illegal
The Spanish international forward Esther González has sparked a scandal of major proportions after it was officially announced this Monday August 24, 2026 that she has signed with Al Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia until 2027, with an option for another season. In a swift move coinciding with her arrival in the Saudi league, the footballer deleted or archived all photographs with her wife, Estefanía Cruz, from her official Instagram profile (@esthergonzalez).
Among the deleted content are family images they publicly shared in January 2026 to announce the birth of their first daughter, as well as everyday posts and joint celebrations that showcased their relationship. This drastic concession directly responds to the need to adapt to the restrictive laws of Al Khobar, home to her new club, in a country governed by a strict interpretation of Islamic law, under which same-sex relationships are strictly criminalized.
Esther González and Estefanía Cruz
With this gesture, the athlete has made it clear that the loud defense of rainbow rights and the LGTBIQ+ community is quickly forgotten when the money comes at the right price.
To facilitate this multimillion-dollar move, Esther González had already laid the groundwork last July by prematurely terminating her contract with Gotham FC in the United States, falsely citing supposed "personal matters" and "personal reasons" to simulate a return to Spain.
This maneuver is now seen as a crude exit strategy planned to conceal her true direction towards the Middle East.
The signing was formally sealed at an event attended by the executive director of Al Qadsiah Club Company, James Bisgrove, and the coach, Giles Barnes.
According to the entity's statement, "González's signing is part of Al Qadsiah's ongoing efforts to strengthen its women's first team with players who bring international experience and a proven track record of success, thus supporting the team's ambitions to compete at the highest level and achieve new successes in the upcoming season".
Esther González and Estefanía Cruz
The lucrative contract for the forward rewards a brilliant sports career, but purchased at the cost of her own ideological coherence. González arrives at the absolute monarchy after three years in the United States, where she scored 30 goals with Gotham FC and won two league titles.
Previously, she played for Real Madrid between 2021 and 2023, recording 80 goals. At the international level, she has accumulated 36 goals with the Spain national team, with which she was crowned champion of the World Cup in 2023 and the UEFA Women's Nations League in 2025.
However, all these achievements are now overshadowed by the speed with which her proclaimed feminism and activism dissolved in the face of a regime that systematically violates human rights. This case starkly exposes the true face of a convenience activism that docilely surrenders to the power of money, sacrificing the visibility of her own family on the altar of petrodollars.
