London City's Putellas wins record-equalling third Ballon d'Or
Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas has won her third Ballon d'Or Feminin, equalling the all-time record after a quadruple-winning 2025-26 season.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Alexia Putellas wins her record-equalling third Ballon d'Or Feminin award
- She captained Barcelona to a quadruple in 2025-26 before joining London City Lionesses
- The last six Ballon d'Or awards have all been claimed by Spanish players
- Putellas successfully bounced back from a career-threatening ACL injury suffered in 2022
Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas has claimed the Ballon d'Or Feminin for a record-equalling third time, ensuring that the prestigious prize remains in Spanish hands for the sixth consecutive year.
At 32 years of age, Putellas captained Barcelona to Champions League glory as part of a stunning quadruple during the 2025-26 campaign, before making a high-profile move to Women's Super League (WSL) side London City Lionesses in July.
Putellas now joins her Spain team-mate Aitana Bonmati on three Ballon d'Or Feminin crowns. Bonmati previously won the accolade in 2023, 2024, and 2025, following Putellas' back-to-back triumphs in 2021 and 2022. Norway's Ada Hegerberg (2018) and the United States' Megan Rapinoe (2019) remain the only non-Spaniards to win the award in recent history.
This latest achievement marks a remarkable return to the pinnacle of world football for Putellas, who suffered a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury just prior to Euro 2022. She secured the most votes from an international panel of journalists representing FIFA's top-50 ranked countries, finishing ahead of Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor and Manchester City forward Khadija Shaw.
"This victory caps a remarkable return to the pinnacle of world football after suffering a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 2022."
Ballon d'Or Award Panel
Putellas winning her third Ballon d'Or not only cements her status as an absolute icon of women's football but also highlights the enduring dominance of Spanish players on the global stage. Her transfer to the WSL with London City Lionesses under the ownership of US billionaire Michelle Kang represents a landmark moment for English women's club football, attracting elite global talent.
Her on-field statistics from last season illustrate her enduring elite status, recording seven goals in the Champions League alone and creating numerous opportunities in Liga F to guide Barcelona to yet another successful domestic and continental campaign.
After a stellar season where she shouldered Barcelona's creative burden and scored twice against England in June to secure Spain's 2027 World Cup spot, Putellas decided to embark on a new chapter in her career by moving to English football.
Source: BBC Sport
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