Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d'Or Féminin for a record-equalling third time, keeping the prize in Spanish hands for a sixth consecutive year. The 32-year-old captained Barcelona to a quadruple in the 2025-26 season, including Champions League glory, before joining Women's Super League side London City Lionesses in July.
Putellas joins former Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmatí on three Ballon d'Or Féminin crowns. The past six awards have been won by the Spanish pair, with Norway's Ada Hegerberg (2018) and Megan Rapinoe of the United States (2019) the only non-Spaniards to claim the prize. Putellas' latest victory caps a remarkable return after a career-threatening ACL injury in 2022.
"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," Putellas said. "Doesn't matter where you come from. Don't listen if someone tells you, you can't do it. Believe in yourself."
She collected the most votes from an international panel of journalists across FIFA's top-50 ranked countries, with Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor second and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw third. Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane won the men's Ballon d'Or, becoming the first English player to do so since Michael Owen in 2001.
Dominant season
Putellas scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions last season, ranking third and second respectively among players across Europe's top five leagues. Seven of those goals came in the Women's Champions League as Barcelona claimed a fourth continental title in six seasons. She also created more chances (89) 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 España.
From La Masia to London
Born in Mollet del Vallès, Putellas grew up a Barcelona fan and idolized Andrés Iniesta, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. After a year at La Masia and spells at Espanyol and Levante, she returned to Barcelona in 2012, winning 38 trophies over 14 years. After her ACL injury ruled her out of Euro 2022, she retained the Ballon d'Or that year but took time to return to peak form. She played a bit-part role in Spain's 2023 World Cup triumph, then scored in the 2024 Champions League final and shouldered Barcelona's creative burden in 2025-26 as Bonmatí missed five months through injury.
With her Barcelona contract expiring, Putellas joined the ambitious project of US billionaire Michelle Kang at London City Lionesses in July. "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 BBC's Women's Football Weekly podcast in August. She has three goals and one assist in seven WSL games for her new club.
