Back from ACL injury, Alexia Putellas wins ballon feminin award for record-equalling third time

A third Ballon d'Or crown

Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas has claimed the Ballon d'Or Feminin for the third time. Her wins in 2021 and 2022 came before Aitana Bonmati’s three consecutive awards from 2023 to 2025.

The result means the prize has stayed in Spanish hands for six straight years. Putellas’ latest success also marks a return to the top of world football after a serious knee injury.

Impact beyond scoring goals

Putellas scored seven times in the Women's Champions League as Barcelona secured their fourth continental title in six seasons. Her influence also extended to creating chances and helping moves end in shots.

Across Europe’s top five leagues, only Claudia Pina, Vicky Lopez and Georgia Stanway had more sequence involvements ending in an open-play shot than Putellas, who recorded 151. In the Champions League, she created 36 chances, matching Bayern Munich’s Klara Buhl for the most in the competition last season.

From Catalonia to Barcelona

Putellas grew up in Mollet del Valles, about 12 miles north-east of Barcelona. Andres Iniesta, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho were among the players she admired while watching matches at home.

Return and a new challenge

Putellas scored in the 2024 Champions League final and improved further the following season. In 2025-26, she took on much of Barcelona’s creative responsibility while Bonmati was out for five months, and ended the season a quadruple winner.

With her Barcelona contract expiring and wanting a fresh challenge, Putellas chose to leave the club where she had grown up. She told the BBC Women's Football Weekly podcast in August that she was always seeking to move forward as both a person and a player.