Alexia Putellas has once again reached the summit of women’s football, winning the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or on Monday night and becoming only the second player to claim the prestigious award three times. For the Spanish midfielder, the triumph represents more than another individual honour: it is the culmination of a remarkable journey through success, injury, recovery and reinvention.
At the London Palladium, Putellas reclaimed the crown she first won in 2021 and successfully defended in 2022. Her latest victory places her alongside compatriot Aitana Bonmatí, who collected the award in three successive years from 2023 to 2025. The achievement also extends Spain’s remarkable dominance of the women’s prize.
But Putellas’s story is not simply about the number of trophies she has won. It is about a footballer who endured one of the most difficult setbacks of her career, fought her way back to the highest level and delivered a season worthy of the sport’s greatest individual recognition.
A season that brought her back to the top
Putellas’s case for the 2026 Ballon d’Or was built on an outstanding campaign with Barcelona during the 2025–26 season.
As captain, she helped lead the Catalan club to a historic quadruple, including the UEFA Women’s Champions League, reinforcing Barcelona’s position among the dominant forces in women’s football.
Her individual contribution was equally significant. Putellas scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists across all competitions for Barcelona, while also contributing six international goals for Spain. She was named UEFA Women’s Champions League Player of the Season after scoring seven goals and registering seven assists during Barcelona’s European campaign.
Those performances demonstrated why Putellas remains such an influential presence in midfield. She combines technical ability with vision, intelligent movement and an instinct for decisive moments. Comfortable creating opportunities as well as finishing attacks, she has the capacity to influence a match without relying exclusively on goals.
Her leadership was another defining element of Barcelona’s campaign. As captain, she helped guide a talented squad through the demands of domestic and European competition, contributing to a season that culminated in multiple trophies.
The Ballon d’Or recognised that combination of individual excellence and collective success.
The injury that threatened to change everything
To appreciate the significance of Putellas’s latest achievement, it is necessary to revisit the summer of 2022.
At the time, she was already established as one of the outstanding players in the world. Having won consecutive Ballon d’Or awards in 2021 and 2022, she was at the peak of her influence and preparing to lead Spain at the UEFA Women’s European Championship.
Then came the setback that threatened to derail her momentum: a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly before the tournament.
The injury ruled her out of Euro 2022 and began a difficult period of rehabilitation. For an athlete whose game depends on movement, balance, acceleration and confidence in challenging situations, returning from such an injury demands patience as well as physical recovery.
Putellas eventually returned to competitive football, but regaining her previous level was not immediate. Spain went on to win the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, although Putellas played a limited role in that tournament. Meanwhile, Bonmatí emerged as the leading figure in the Ballon d’Or conversation, winning the award in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Putellas had to watch another player occupy the position she had once held.
Yet her career was not finished. Instead of allowing the injury to define her, she continued working towards a return to her best form.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse ahead of the ceremony, Putellas reflected on how the experience changed her relationship with football. She explained that since suffering the injury, she had tried to appreciate every moment because another setback could never be ruled out.
That perspective adds another dimension to her third Ballon d’Or. It is an award earned not only through a successful season, but also through the persistence required to rebuild a career after a major injury.
Barcelona: The club that shaped her legacy
Putellas spent 14 years at Barcelona, developing into one of the defining figures of the club’s rise in women’s football.
Her connection with the team went beyond her responsibilities in midfield. She became a symbol of Barcelona’s ambition, technical identity and success, helping establish a winning culture that delivered trophies in Spain and across Europe.
During her time at the club, she won two Ballon d’Or awards and accumulated an extraordinary collection of team honours. Her influence extended to younger teammates, who played alongside a captain whose experience had been shaped by years of competing at the highest level.
The 2025–26 campaign provided a fitting conclusion to that chapter. Barcelona won four trophies, including a third Champions League title in four years and a seventh consecutive Liga F championship. Putellas’s third Ballon d’Or followed a season in which she had helped deliver some of the club’s most significant achievements.
Her success also reflected the strength of the wider Barcelona project. Several of her teammates featured among the leading contenders for individual awards, underlining the collective quality behind the club’s achievements.
But Putellas’s contribution remained distinctive. Her experience, creativity and leadership helped connect the team’s attacking talent with its broader ambitions.
A new challenge in London
One of the most intriguing developments in Putellas’s career came before the start of the 2026–27 season, when she left Barcelona to join London City Lionesses in England’s Women’s Super League.
After 14 years at Barcelona, the decision represented a major change. Rather than remaining in familiar surroundings, she chose to test herself in a new country, culture and football environment.
The move also gave her an opportunity to contribute to an ambitious project. London City Lionesses, owned by American businesswoman Michele Kang, are seeking to establish themselves among England’s leading clubs.
Putellas has described the transition as a substantial change in her daily life, involving a new language, a new city and a different football culture. She also explained that she wanted a new challenge rather than trying to recreate the Barcelona experience elsewhere.
Her arrival carries significance beyond her individual performances. A player of Putellas’s stature brings experience, international recognition and a winning mentality to a club seeking to build its identity and compete with established powers in English football.
Her Ballon d’Or victory in London makes that transition even more remarkable. The ceremony celebrated what she accomplished at Barcelona while taking place in the city where she is beginning the next chapter of her career.
For the Women’s Super League, her presence represents another sign of the competition’s growing international appeal.
Spain’s golden generation continues to make history
Putellas’s achievement also reflects the extraordinary influence of Spanish football on the women’s game.
Her three Ballon d’Or victories, combined with Bonmatí’s three, mean the two midfielders have accounted for the award in every edition since 2021. Their success reflects the quality of Spain’s player development and the strength of the footballing structures that have supported the national team and leading clubs.
Spain’s success has not been confined to individual honours. The national team won the 2023 Women’s World Cup and the 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League, reinforcing its position among the leading international sides.
Putellas contributed to Spain’s Nations League success in 2025, earning recognition as Player of the Finals. With the next Women’s World Cup scheduled for Brazil in 2027, her continued form will be important to Spain’s hopes of defending its world title.
Her individual triumph also highlights the international breadth of women’s football. Jamaica’s Khadija Shaw finished third in the Ballon d’Or voting, while Barcelona forward Ewa Pajor of Poland finished second. Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay, England’s Alessia Russo and Malawi’s Temwa Chawinga also featured in the top 10.
The rankings reflect a sport increasingly shaped by outstanding players from a wide range of countries, leagues and footballing traditions.
What the third Ballon d’Or means for Putellas
Winning the Ballon d’Or once establishes a player among the best in the world. Winning it three times places Putellas in a much smaller group.
Her latest triumph confirms her return to the top after a period in which injury interrupted her career and Bonmatí took centre stage. It also recognises a season in which she helped Barcelona achieve major success while delivering outstanding individual numbers.
The award does not erase the challenges she faced, nor does it bring her football journey to an end. Instead, it marks a new point in a career that continues to evolve.
Now playing in England, Putellas faces the challenge of helping London City Lionesses establish themselves in a competitive league while maintaining her influence with Spain ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Her next chapter will be different from the one she enjoyed at Barcelona. That is precisely what makes it compelling.
