Alexia Putellas wins third Ballon d'Or after Barcelona quadruple

Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d'Or Feminin for the third time, matching Aitana Bonmati's record and extending Spain's run of winners to six consecutive years. BBC Sport reported that the 32-year-old midfielder received the award after captaining Barcelona to four trophies in 2025-26, a season that concluded her long association with the club before she moved to London City Lionesses.

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Putellas previously took the prize in 2021 and 2022, while Bonmati won each of the next three editions. Their combined success has left the award exclusively in Spanish hands across that six-year sequence. Norway's Ada Hegerberg, the winner in 2018, and American Megan Rapinoe, who won in 2019, remain the only recipients from outside Spain, according to the BBC report.

The latest honour follows a campaign in which Putellas contributed 21 goals and 13 assists across all competitions. Seven of her goals came in the Women's Champions League, helping Barcelona secure their fourth European title in six seasons. The club also won Liga F for a seventh successive season, with the Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de Espana completing their collection of trophies.

Her creative contribution was another feature of that campaign. BBC Sport reported that Putellas produced 89 chances across the four competitions, including 19 big chances, and completed 965 passes ending in the final third. In the Champions League alone, she created 36 chances, a total matched only by Bayern Munich's Klara Buhl. Those figures accompanied a larger creative responsibility while Bonmati missed five months through injury.

The award adds another milestone to Putellas' recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled her out of Euro 2022. She retained the Ballon d'Or later that year but played only a limited role in Spain's 2023 World Cup triumph. She subsequently scored in the 2024 Champions League final before the quadruple-winning campaign that preceded her latest individual recognition.

Putellas left Barcelona when her contract expired and joined London City Lionesses in July. Her 14-year spell with Barcelona brought 38 trophies, including 10 league championships and four European cups. Now playing in England's Women's Super League, she has recorded three goals and one assist in seven league appearances for her new club, according to BBC Sport.