Putellas wins third Women’s Ballon d’Or

Spain midfielder, Alexia Putellas, has won the Women’s Ballon d’Or for a record-equalling third time, extending the country’s dominance of the award to six consecutive years.

The 32-year-old captained Barcelona to a quadruple-winning 2025-26 season before leaving her childhood club to join Women’s Super League side London City Lionesses in July.

Putellas joins Spain team-mate Aitana Bonmati as the only players to have won the award three times. Bonmati claimed the prize in 2023, 2024 and 2025, while Putellas won it in 2021 and 2022.

The Spanish pair have now won the past six editions of the award, following victories by Norway’s Ada Hegerberg in 2018 and the United States’ Megan Rapinoe in 2019.

Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor finished second in the voting, while Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw came third. The winner was selected by an international panel of journalists from FIFA’s top 50-ranked countries.

Putellas described her latest triumph as a significant moment and encouraged young people around the world to pursue their football ambitions regardless of gender or background.

“All the boys and girls around the world — if you love football and if you want to play football, play football. It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or if you’re a girl,” she said.

“Doesn’t matter where you come from. Don’t listen if someone tells you, you can’t do it. Believe in yourself.”

Outstanding numbers in Barcelona’s quadruple

Putellas’ performances during the 2025-26 campaign reinforced her standing among the leading players in women’s football.

She scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions, playing a major role in Barcelona’s success across four competitions.

Seven of her goals came in the Women’s Champions League, where Barcelona secured their fourth European title in six seasons.

Although several recognised forwards scored more in the competition, Putellas’ influence extended beyond her goalscoring contributions, with her creativity and passing helping to drive Barcelona’s attacking play.

In Liga F, which Barcelona won for a seventh consecutive season, she recorded seven assists and ranked among the league’s leading players for chances created.

She also created 89 chances across Liga F, the Champions League, Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de España, including 19 classified as big chances.

Her contribution became particularly important after Bonmati missed five months through injury, leaving Putellas with greater responsibility in Barcelona’s midfield.

Comeback after career-threatening injury

Putellas’ third Ballon d’Or marks another milestone in a career that has included a lengthy recovery from a serious knee injury.

Born in Mollet del Vallès, near Barcelona, she grew up supporting the Catalan club and idolising former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta, as well as Brazilian stars Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.

After playing for local sides and spending time at Barcelona’s La Masia academy, she moved through Espanyol and Levante before returning to Barcelona in 2012.

She went on to spend 14 years with her childhood club, winning 38 trophies, including 10 league titles and four European cups.

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Her first two Ballon d’Or victories came in 2021 and 2022, but the second was overshadowed by an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered shortly before the European Championship in 2022.

The injury ruled her out of the tournament and disrupted her return to top-level football. Although she retained the Ballon d’Or that year, she initially struggled to regain her previous influence and played a limited role in Spain’s 2023 Women’s World Cup triumph.

Putellas gradually returned to her best form, scoring in the 2024 Champions League final before taking on a more prominent role in Barcelona’s midfield during the following season.

She also scored twice in Spain’s 4-0 victory over England in June, a result that secured Spain’s place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

New challenge in England

After her contract with Barcelona expired, Putellas opted for a new challenge and joined London City Lionesses, the ambitious club backed by American businesswoman Michelle Kang.

The move ended her long association with Barcelona and brought her to the Women’s Super League, where she is continuing her career in English football.

Explaining her decision in an interview with BBC’s Women’s Football Weekly podcast in August, Putellas said she was always looking for opportunities to develop.

“I’m just always looking forward to better things and that’s why I’m here too, because I always need to be moving as a person and a player,” she said.

Her early performances suggest the move hasn’t diminished her influence, with three goals and one assist in seven WSL matches for her new club.