Ballon d'or
Alexia Putellas secured a third Ballon d'Or, matching the record for most wins, as the Spanish midfielder was announced the winner on Tuesday, keeping the prize in Spanish hands for a sixth straight year. The accolade, presented by France Football, crowns her outstanding season with Barcelona and her comeback after a serious ACL injury, and it places the award firmly within the “ballon d'or” conversation that has dominated women’s football for the past six years.
The 32‑year‑old, who captained Barcelona to a Champions League triumph as part of a historic quadruple in the 2025‑26 campaign, collected the most votes from an international panel of journalists representing FIFA’s top‑50 ranked nations. Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor finished second and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw took third place. Putellas’ win also coincides with England captain Harry Kane receiving the men’s Ballon d’Or, the first English player to do so since Michael Owen in 2001.
Putellas’ statistics underline why the panel favored her. She scored 21 goals and supplied 13 assists across all competitions, ranking third for goals and second for assists among players in Europe’s five major leagues. Seven of those strikes came in the Women’s Champions League, helping Barcelona claim a fourth continental title in six seasons. In Spain’s Liga F, she was joint‑sixth for assists with seven and fourth for open‑play chances created, tallying 40. Across Europe’s top leagues, only a handful of forwards out‑scored her, yet her overall contribution to build‑up play was unmatched, with 151 sequence involvements ending in an open‑play shot and 965 passes completed in the final third.
Beyond the numbers, Putellas has become a symbol of resilience after overcoming a career‑threatening ACL tear in 2022 that forced her out of Euro 2022 and delayed her return to peak form. “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 told reporters after receiving the trophy. “Doesn’t matter where you come from. Don’t listen if someone tells you, you can’t do it. Believe in yourself.” Her words resonated with young players who see her journey from a street‑ball kid in Mollet del Valles to a world‑class midfielder.
The award also highlights the dominance of Spanish players in the women’s Ballon d’Or picture. Putellas joins compatriot Aitana Bonmati, who has now earned three crowns of her own, making the pair the only Spaniards to have claimed the prize in the past six editions. Norway’s Ada Hegerberg in 2018 and United States’ Megan Rapinoe in 2019 remain the only non‑Spaniards to break the streak. The continuity reflects the strength of Spain’s domestic league and the national team’s recent successes, including the 2023 World Cup victory.
Putellas’ move to the English Women’s Super League earlier this year added another chapter to her story. After a decorated 14‑year spell at Barcelona that produced 38 trophies, she signed for London City Lionesses in July, attracted by the project led by US billionaire Michelle Kang. In her debut WSL season she has already logged three goals and an assist in seven appearances, confirming that her creative spark remains undiminished. “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 explained on the BBC Women’s Football Weekly podcast.
Looking ahead, Putellas will join the shortlist for the upcoming UEFA Women’s Player of the Year awards, while her contract with Barcelona expires at the end of the season, leaving open the possibility of a return or another venture abroad. The football world will watch how her new club in London capitalises on her experience, and whether she can help raise the profile of the WSL further. For now, the record‑equalling third Ballon d'Or cements her status as one of the sport’s enduring icons, a proof of both her individual brilliance and the sustained excellence of Spanish women’s football.
