Alexia Putellas has done it again, officially snatching her record-equalling third Ballon d’Or Feminin, and you gotta feel like the rest of women’s football needs to sit up and take notice. This isn’t just a win; it’s a statement, keeping that coveted prize right where it’s been for six straight years: in Spanish hands.
The Queen’s Return: A Quadruple, A New Home, And A Historic Crown
Think about this: Putellas, at 32 years old, captained Barcelona to Champions League glory, bagging a ridiculous quadruple in the 2025-26 season. Then, in July, she makes a massive move to the Women’s Super League side, London City Lionesses. And now, she’s back on top of the world. It’s wild. This isn’t just some casual win either; she’s now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her Spain teammate, Aitana Bonmati, both having three Ballon d’Or Feminin crowns to their names. Bonmati grabbed hers in 2023, 2024, and 2025, right after Putellas took home the hardware in 2021 and 2022. That’s six straight Ballon d’Ors for Spain, folks. The dominance is real. Only Norway’s Ada Hegerberg in 2018 and the US’s Megan Rapinoe in 2019 have broken that Spanish stranglehold.
But here’s the kicker: this latest victory? It’s the ultimate mic drop on a comeback from a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury she suffered back in 2022. Seriously, who comes back from that, captains a team to a quadruple, signs with a new club, and then wins the Ballon d’Or again? It’s insane! She scooped up the most votes from an international panel of journalists, leaving Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor in second and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw in third.
‘La Reina’s’ Numbers Don’t Lie: Pure Dominance
They call her ‘La Reina’,the queen,and the stats absolutely back it up. Even with Barcelona being the overwhelming favorites in Spain, Putellas’ performances last season prove she’s still elite, period. She netted 21 goals and dished out 13 assists across all competitions, putting her third and second respectively among players in Europe’s top five leagues. Let that sink in.
Seven of those goals came in the Women’s Champions League, where Barcelona locked down their fourth continental title in six seasons. Yeah, Pernille Harder, Alessia Russo, and Ewa Pajor scored more, but they’re all strikers! Putellas’ impact went way beyond just scoring, though. In Liga F, which Barcelona won for the seventh season in a row, she finished joint-sixth for assists with seven and fourth for open-play chances created with 40. And if you’re into the deeper stats, only a few players across Europe’s top five leagues had more sequence involvements ending in an open-play shot than Putellas’ 151. Overall, she created more chances (89, including 19 big ones) and completed more passes ending in the final third (965) than *anyone* else in Liga F, the Champions League, Copa de la Reina, and Supercopa de Espana. In the Champions League alone, she created 36 chances, matching Bayern Munich’s Klara Buhl, which is the most by a player in a single edition since Caroline Graham Hansen in 2021-22. Her vision and distribution are just on another level.
From Barcelona Streets To Global Icon
Putellas’ journey is pure storybook stuff. Born and raised just outside Barcelona, she started playing in the streets, grew up a massive Barcelona fan, and was always at Camp Nou. Her idols? Absolute legends like Andres Iniesta, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho. She even went to a summer football camp run by Xavi and spent a year at La Masia, Barcelona’s legendary youth academy. After stints with Espanyol and Levante, she finally came home to Barca in 2012.
That kicked off a 14-year career with her childhood club, where she collected an astonishing 38 trophies, including 10 league titles and four European cups. And then, after winning her *first* Ballon d’Or in 2021, came that brutal ACL injury right before Euro 2022. To go through that, fight her way back to the top, and now win her third Ballon d’Or? It’s proof that sometimes, the toughest moments lead to the greatest triumphs.
She’s at London City Lionesses now, fresh off this historic win. What’s next for ‘La Reina’? After a comeback like that and a performance year packed with trophies, you just know she’s not done making history. We’re all watching to see what else this absolute legend can pull off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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