Alexia Putellas of Spain has captured her third Ballon d’Or Féminin, tying the record and extending Spain’s six‑year streak.
The 32‑year‑old led Barcelona to a Champions League triumph as part of a historic quadruple in 2025‑26 before moving to the WSL’s London City Lionesses in July.
She now shares three Ballon d’Or titles with teammate Aitana Bonmati – the Barcelona star won in 2023, 2024 and 2025 after Putellas’ back‑to‑back wins in 2021 and 2022.
All six recent awards have stayed in Spanish hands; only Norway’s Ada Hegerberg (2018) and USA’s Megan Rapinoe (2019) broke the pattern.
Putellas’ latest honor caps a stunning comeback after a career‑threatening ACL tear in 2022.
“All the boys and girls around the world – if you love football, play it. Gender doesn’t matter,” she urged.
“Ignore anyone who says you can’t. Believe in yourself, no matter where you’re from.”
She topped the vote from journalists in FIFA’s top‑50 nations, with Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor second and Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw third.
Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane secured the men’s Ballon d’Or, the first English winner since Michael Owen in 2001.
Barcelona may dominate Spain’s three major trophies, but Putellas proved she remains among the global elite – a view I share wholeheartedly.
Nicknamed ‘La Reina’, she netted 21 goals and added 13 assists, ranking third for scoring and second for assists across Europe’s top five leagues.
Seven of those strikes came in the Women’s Champions League as Barcelona lifted a fourth continental crown in six seasons.
Only Pernille Harder (8), Alessia Russo (9) and Ewa Pajor (11) outscored her, all natural forwards.
Her influence stretched far beyond goals, shaping Barcelona’s attack at every turn.
In Liga F, the champions’ seventh straight title saw her tied for sixth in assists (seven) and fourth for chances created in open play (40).
Across Europe’s elite leagues, only Claudia Pina (199), Vicky Lopez (183) and Georgia Stanway (168) logged more sequence‑involved shots than Putellas (151).
She generated the most chances (89, including 19 big ones) and completed the highest number of final‑third passes (965) in all competitions she contested.
Only Bayern Munich’s Klara Bühl matched her Champions League chance tally (36), the best single‑edition total since Caroline Graham Hansen’s 38 in 2021‑22.
Born in Mollet del Vallès, a town about 12 miles northeast of Barcelona, she grew up amid Catalan streets.
She started kicking a ball on the pavement, soon becoming a Barça fan and regular Camp Nou visitor.
Televised matches introduced her to idols like Andrés Iniesta and Brazilian legends Rivaldo and Ronaldinho.
After a summer camp run by Xavi and a stint with CE Sabadell, she spent a year at La Masia.
Following the dissolution of her girls’ team, spells at Espanyol and Levante came before she returned to Barça in 2012.
That marked the beginning of a 14‑year saga that yielded 38 trophies, including ten league crowns and four European cups.
Her first Ballon d’Or in 2021 was shadowed by an ACL rupture on the eve of Euro 2022, which forced her out of the tournament.
She kept the award later that year, yet it took time to regain top form; a cameo in Spain’s 2023 World Cup win must have stung.
After scoring in the 2024 Champions League final, she shouldered most of Barça’s creativity in 2025‑26 while Bonmati missed five months, culminating in a quadruple.
She then added a brace in a 4‑0 win over England in June, securing Spain’s spot at the 2027 World Cup at the Lionesses’ expense.
With her Barça contract ending, she sought a new challenge, leaving her boyhood club to the dismay of many fans.
Offers came from England, Mexico and the United States, but she chose US billionaire Michelle Kang’s London City Lionesses project in July.
“I’m always chasing better things, that’s why I’m here – I need to keep moving as a person and a player,” she told BBC’s Women’s Football Weekly in August.
Three goals and an assist in seven WSL games confirm she still lives up to her royal nickname.