Alexia Putellas has been awarded the Ballon d’Or Feminin for the third time in her career, matching the record held by her Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati. This achievement marks the sixth year in a row that the prestigious prize has gone to a Spanish player, continuing a trend that has only been interrupted by Norway’s Ada Hegerberg in 2018 and American Megan Rapinoe in 2019. According to the past six Ballons d’Or have been won by the Spanish pair, with Norway’s Ada Hegerberg (2018) and Megan Rapinoe of the United, (2019) the only non-Spaniards to claim the prize.
The 32-year-old midfielder, who recently joined the London City Lionesses in the Women’s Super League (WSL) this past July, secured the honor after a dominant 2025-26 campaign. During her final season with Barcelona, Putellas captained the squad to a quadruple, including a Champions League title. Her voting victory saw her finish ahead of runner-up Ewa Pajor of Barcelona and third-placed Khadija Shaw from Manchester City. With Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor coming second and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw third, she collected the most votes from an international panel of journalists across Fifa’s top-50 ranked countries. Only Pernille Harder (eight), Alessia Russo (nine) and Ewa Pajor (11) scored more, all of whom are strikers by trade. Only Claudia Pina (199), Vicky Lopez (183) and Georgia Stanway (168) recorded more sequence involvements ending in an open-play shot than Putellas (151), across Europe’s top five leagues. From watching Iniesta to winning it all.
Putellas’ path back to the top of world football has been defined by resilience.
After suffering a severe anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury just before Euro 2022, she faced a lengthy period of recovery. Her return to form saw her score in the 2024 Champions League final, and her influence grew during the following season as she helped carry Barcelona’s creative load while Bonmati was sidelined for five months due to injury. She joins Spain team-mate Aitana Bonmati on three Ballon d’Or Feminin crowns – her former Barcelona colleague won the award in 2023, 2024 and 2025 after Putellas did so in 2021 and 2022. In Liga F – which Barcelona won for a seventh consecutive season – she finished joint-sixth for assists (seven) and fourth for open-play chances created (40). The most by a player in a single edition of the competition since Caroline Graham Hansen in 2021-22 (38), only Bayern Munich’s Klara Buhl created as many chances as Putellas in the Champions League last season (36). Former Spain and Barcelona star Andres Iniesta and Brazilian duo Rivaldo and Ronaldinho quickly became her idols, with matches always on the TV at home. Playing only a bit-part role in Spain’s triumphant 2023 World Cup campaign would have stung.
Known by the nickname ‘La Reina’—or ‘the queen’—Putellas recorded 21 goals and 13 assists across all competitions during the last campaign.
She remained a pivotal playmaker, finishing as the top creator in domestic and European competitions with 89 chances created and 965 passes completed into the final third. She created more chances (89, 19 of which were big chances) and completed more passes ending in the final third (965) than any other player in Liga F, the Champions League, Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de Espana, in all competitions.
Notably, she scored twice in a 4-0 win over England in June, a result that eliminated the Lionesses from contention for the 2027 World Cup.
Reflecting on her journey, Putellas emphasized the importance of perseverance for young athletes. “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 stated. “Doesn’t matter where you come from. Don’t listen if someone tells you, you can’t do it. Believe in yourself.”
The midfielder’s career began in the streets of Mollet del Valles, near Barcelona. She eventually joined Barcelona’s La Masia academy, and following spells at Espanyol and Levante, she returned to her childhood club in 2012. Over a 14-year span with the club, she accumulated 38 trophies, including ten league titles and four European cups. About 12 miles north-east of Barcelona, putellas was born and grew up in the Catalan municipality of Mollet del Valles. Including 10 league titles and four European cups, cue the start of a 14-year career with her childhood club during which she won 38 trophies. And soon became a Barcelona fan and a regular attendee at Camp Nou, she began playing football in the street. After attending a summer football camp run by Xavi and playing for local side CE Sabadell, Putellas spent a year at La Masia, Barcelona’s famous youth academy.
Despite her historic success in Catalonia, Putellas chose to seek a new challenge this year. Her decision to join Michelle Kang’s project at London City Lionesses followed her departure from Barcelona, where she had established herself as a club legend. She has already made an impact in England, recording three goals and one assist in her first seven WSL appearances. But Putellas’ contributions to Barcelona’s attacking play went far beyond scoring goals herself.
The awards ceremony also recognized England captain Harry Kane, who secured the men’s Ballon d’Or, becoming the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001. For Putellas, the latest trophy serves as further validation of her enduring impact on the sport, proving her elite status remains intact after over a decade at the highest level.
“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 told a podcast in August, shortly after moving to the English second tier.
