Putellas among five nominees as BBC Women's Footballer of the Year voting opens

Voting has opened for the BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2026, with Alexia Putellas, Temwa Chawinga, Ewa Pajor, Alessia Russo and Khadija Shaw nominated. BBC Sport reports that supporters worldwide can choose among the five players until 09:00 GMT on 18 November.

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The award recognises performances from September 2025 to September 2026, with nominations made by coaches, journalists and former professionals. For the first time, the winner will be announced as part of the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year.

Chawinga's nomination follows consecutive NWSL Most Valuable Player awards and Golden Boots with Kansas City Current. Shaw helped Manchester City win the Women's Super League and FA Cup, scoring 21 league goals in 22 appearances during the title-winning campaign.

Putellas, Pajor and Shaw also occupied the leading three places in the recent Ballon d'Or Feminin vote, according to BBC Sport's separate reporting on that award. Putellas won ahead of Barcelona striker Pajor and Manchester City forward Shaw, matching Aitana Bonmati's record of three victories.

The Spanish midfielder's latest Ballon d'Or followed her earlier wins in 2021 and 2022. Bonmati took the award in each of the three intervening years, meaning the two Spain internationals have shared the past six editions. Putellas captained Barcelona to four trophies in the 2025-26 season before moving to London City Lionesses in July.

BBC Sport reported that Putellas contributed 21 goals and 13 assists across all competitions during that Barcelona campaign. Seven goals came in the Champions League, where she also created 36 chances. Only Pernille Harder, Russo and Pajor scored more in the competition, with eight, nine and 11 goals respectively.

Putellas' move ended a 14-year spell with Barcelona in which she won 38 trophies, including 10 league titles and four European cups. Her final season included Barcelona's seventh successive Liga F title and fourth Champions League crown in six seasons. Those achievements preceded her switch from Spain to the Women's Super League.