The 29-year-old defender has agreed a two-year deal and will officially join the Club on 1 July, following the conclusion of her current contract with UEFA Women’s Champions League finalists and Primera Division champions, FC Barcelona Femeni.
Widely regarded as one of the leading wing-backs in the Spanish game, Ouahabi is a tireless presence up and down the left flank and won every trophy on offer during an 11-year spell with the Catalan giants, which was split by three years at Valencia.
“I am very happy,” she told mancity.com after agreeing her move.
“I was looking forward to this moment and I am really happy now it is all done.
“Manchester City have always been a team that caught my eye. I like their style of football so much and the DNA of the Club is very exciting.
“This is going to be a completely different experience for me, and I’m really looking forward to it. I want to continue enjoying my football and City are a strong Club. Both personally and professionally, I think I will grow and develop here.
“I also want to keep winning trophies. I like winning and being competitive, and I am coming here to win trophies for City.”
Ouahabi was born in Mataro, Catalonia and made her first venture into football with Vilassar de Mar as a child.
She joined Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy in 2007 at the age of 13 and went onto spend a total of 13 years in their ranks as a youngster and then professionally either side of her brief stint with Valencia.
Whilst on the books of the Blaugranes, Ouahabi played an integral role in their five Primera Division titles, seven Copa de la Reina de Futbol triumphs, two Supercopa Femeninas, three Copa Catalunyas and one UEFA Women’s Champions League success.
Her international career began with Spain’s Under-19s and she went on to make her senior debut against Romania in February 2016 before helping the team to win the Algarve Cup just a year later, when she scored the winning goal in the final against Canada.
Ouahabi, who has won 46 caps to date, also represented her homeland at the 2019 Women’s World Cup where they progressed past the group stages of the competition for the first time in their history before narrowly losing to the United States of America in the Round of 16.
She is set to feature in this summer’s UEFA Women’s European Championships and will stay in England permanently after the tournament having put pen to paper on a two-year contract at the Academy Stadium.
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “Leila is a player who has become accustomed to success throughout her career, and we’re thrilled that she has joined us in a bid to continue that here in England.
“She has a vast amount of experience in high-pressured situations and will give everything she has to win, which matches our own ethos perfectly.
“She is a player who we have admired for a long time given her standing in the game and to finally have secured her signature is incredibly exciting.
“We’re very much looking forward to seeing her make her mark on the English game.”
