Some players win trophies. Alexia Putellas wins them, loses them to injury, and then comes back for another one. The Spain midfielder has claimed the 2026 Ballon d’Or Féminin, her third, which ties her with her former Barcelona team-mate Aitana Bonmatí. It also means Spain has now won the award six years running.
Spain’s Ballon d’Or Féminin streak
Putellas won in 2021 and 2022, and Bonmatí took the next three, from 2023 to 2025. Only two non-Spaniards have won it in the award’s history: Ada Hegerberg (2018) and Megan Rapinoe (2019). So the award has spent almost its whole existence in Spain, and Putellas has now got it back.
Why Putellas won the 2026 Ballon d’Or Féminin
Putellas, 32, captained Barcelona to a quadruple in 2025-26, including the Champions League. She did it while Bonmatí was out injured for five months, which left Putellas carrying much of Barça’s creative load.
Her numbers across all competitions were:
- 21 goals and 13 assists
- 7 Champions League goals, only a few behind the top-scoring strikers
- 89 chances created, the most of any player in Liga F, the Champions League, the Copa de la Reina or the Supercopa
- 36 chances created in the Champions League, matched only by Bayern’s Klara Bühl and the most in a single edition since 2021-22
She also scored twice in Spain’s 4-0 win over England in June, which sent Spain to the 2027 World Cup at England’s expense.
From street football to world champion
Putellas grew up in Mollet del Vallès, just outside Barcelona. She played football in the street, watched Iniesta, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho on TV, and went to Camp Nou as a fan. After a spell at La Masia, plus stops at Espanyol and Levante, she returned to Barcelona in 2012. Over 14 years at the club she won 38 trophies, including 10 league titles and four European Cups.
The comeback after the ACL injury
Her toughest moment came in 2022, when an ACL injury ruled her out of Euro 2022 just before the tournament. She kept her Ballon d’Or that year, but it took a long time to get back to her best, and she played only a small part in Spain’s 2023 World Cup win. She scored in the 2024 Champions League final, then kept improving, and now she’s back on top.
A new chapter at London City Lionesses
Her Barcelona contract was running out, and in July she left for London City Lionesses in the WSL. She had offers from England, Mexico and the US. Early signs are good, with three goals and an assist in her first seven league games.
La Reina has a new club, and the same crown.
