Four years separated Alexia Putellas’ second Ballon d’Or from her third, and those years changed her career considerably. A serious knee injury, months of rehabilitation, further physical setbacks and the pressure of returning to elite football stood between the player who dominated the sport in 2021 and 2022 and the one who walked onto the stage in London on 26 October 2026. The Alexia Putellas Ballon d’Or 2026 victory was a remarkable return to the top for a footballer who had already experienced what it meant to be considered the world’s best. At 32, she had achieved something even more difficult than reaching that position for the first time: finding her way back.
The Spanish midfielder received her third Women’s Ballon d’Or at the London Palladium, finishing ahead of Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor and Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw. She had previously won the award in 2021 and 2022, becoming the first woman to win it in consecutive years. Her latest victory, confirmed by UEFA’s official Ballon d’Or announcement, places her alongside fellow Spaniard Aitana Bonmatí as a three-time winner.
Alexia Putellas Ballon d’Or 2026: A young girl from Mollet del Vallès who grew up loving Barcelona
Born on 4 February 1994 in Mollet del Vallès, near Barcelona, Alexia developed her love for football long before becoming one of the sport’s most recognisable players. She was a Barcelona supporter from childhood and spent time in the club’s youth academy before continuing her development at Espanyol. At just 16, she made her senior debut for Espanyol in 2010, beginning a professional career that would eventually bring her back to the club she had grown up supporting.
After spending the 2011/12 season with Levante, where she scored 15 goals, Alexia joined Barcelona in 2012 at the age of 18. The women’s team had recently won its first Spanish league title and was beginning to establish itself as a major force in domestic football. As documented in UEFA’s career profile of Alexia Putellas, she became part of a Barcelona side that would go on to transform its standing in European women’s football.
The rise of Barcelona’s midfield leader
Alexia gradually developed into the player around whom much of Barcelona’s attacking football could operate. Her left foot, close control, passing range and ability to recognise space made her equally dangerous when creating opportunities and finishing them herself. She became a central figure in a Barcelona side increasingly capable of competing with Europe’s strongest teams, eventually taking on the captain’s responsibility as the club’s reputation continued to grow.
The breakthrough year came in 2021, when Barcelona defeated Chelsea 4-0 in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final to claim its first European title. Alexia scored in that historic victory and ended the year by receiving her first Women’s Ballon d’Or, alongside UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and FIFA’s The Best Women’s Player awards. In 2022, she retained the Ballon d’Or after another exceptional individual campaign, scoring 34 goals in 42 Barcelona appearances during the 2021/22 season.
For a midfielder who had spent years helping Barcelona develop into a European powerhouse, those awards recognised far more than one outstanding season. Alexia had become one of the defining footballers of her generation, influencing matches through goals, creativity and leadership. Yet the most difficult period of her career was about to begin.
July 2022: The injury that interrupted everything
On 5 July 2022, while training with Spain ahead of the UEFA Women’s European Championship in England, Alexia suffered a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury in her left knee. The diagnosis ruled her out of the tournament and required surgery, which she underwent successfully a week later. According to FC Barcelona’s official medical announcement, the injury involved the cruciate ligaments of her left knee and brought an abrupt interruption to her playing career.
For an athlete at the height of her abilities, such an injury changes the immediate priorities completely. Alexia went from preparing to represent Spain at a major international tournament to working through a lengthy rehabilitation programme. She could no longer contribute to matches in the way she had been doing for years, and her return would depend on how her knee responded to treatment and training.
In March 2023, nearly nine months after the injury, she began participating in parts of Barcelona’s team training sessions. Speaking about her progress in an official Barcelona recovery update, Alexia said she was beginning to feel like her former self again, while acknowledging the importance of patience. Her return to competitive football eventually came on 30 April 2023, almost ten months after the injury.
Returning to football was only the beginning
Alexia returned in time to be part of Spain’s historic 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup-winning squad, although she was still rebuilding her match fitness. Barcelona also continued collecting trophies, but her return to consistent top-level performance required further work. In December 2023, she underwent another medical procedure on her left knee, adding a further interruption to a recovery that had already demanded considerable patience.
Her performances gradually began to resemble those that had made her one of the world’s most influential midfielders. In the 2024 Women’s Champions League final, she came off the bench and scored Barcelona’s second goal against Lyon, helping secure a 2-0 victory and the club’s third European title. During the 2024/25 season, she recorded 22 goals in 39 competitive appearances for Barcelona, another indication of her return to form.
International recognition followed as well. Alexia played an important role in Spain’s successful 2025 UEFA Women’s Nations League campaign and was named Player of the Finals. Her contribution, documented in UEFA’s report on Spain’s Nations League triumph, demonstrated that she remained an important figure in a Spanish national team competing at the highest level.
A final Barcelona season worthy of another Ballon d’Or
The 2025/26 season became one of the most significant of Alexia’s career. She captained Barcelona to four major trophies, including the Spanish league title, Copa de la Reina, Spanish Super Cup and UEFA Women’s Champions League. In Europe, she scored seven goals and supplied seven assists, earning the Women’s Champions League Player of the Season award.
Barcelona’s European campaign concluded on 23 May 2026, when they defeated OL Lyonnes 4-0 in Oslo to win their fourth Women’s Champions League title. Ewa Pajor and Salma Paralluelo each scored twice in the final, completing another memorable season for the Catalan club. The victory, detailed in UEFA’s official Champions League final report, became an especially meaningful occasion for Alexia because it was her final European match as a Barcelona player.
After 14 seasons with Barcelona, she left the club with 232 goals in 508 official appearances, according to Barcelona’s retrospective of her career. Her honours included four Women’s Champions League titles, ten Spanish league championships and ten Copa de la Reina trophies. From the teenager who arrived from Levante to the captain who helped establish Barcelona among Europe’s finest teams, she had been part of an extraordinary period in the club’s history.
London City Lionesses: A new challenge after 14 years
In July 2026, Alexia made one of the most surprising moves of her career by joining London City Lionesses in the Women’s Super League. After spending 14 years at Barcelona, she chose an ambitious English club seeking to establish itself among the country’s leading sides. The official London City Lionesses signing announcement confirmed her arrival on 8 July 2026, marking a major signing for the club.
The move offered Alexia a different challenge at a stage when she could easily have continued building on her established reputation. Rather than remaining at the club where she had achieved almost everything available to her, she entered a new league and a different football environment. Three months later, she collected her third Ballon d’Or in the same city where she had begun that new chapter.
What Alexia Putellas’ third Ballon d’Or means
Alexia’s career deserves recognition for the football itself: her creativity, goals, leadership and contribution to one of the most successful teams in women’s football. But her third Ballon d’Or gives that career another dimension. It came after an injury that removed her from the game for months, a demanding return to competition and the difficult process of regaining the form that had once made her the world’s best player.
There is also a wider significance to her achievements. Alexia has consistently spoken about improving opportunities for girls who want to play football, and her success has helped bring greater attention to the women’s game. For young footballers, particularly girls still looking for opportunities and visible role models, her career offers an example of what can be achieved when talent is supported by commitment, professional development and the chance to compete.
The 2026 Ballon d’Or does not erase the years Alexia spent recovering or the challenges she faced along the way. Those years are now part of the career that has brought her three of football’s most prestigious individual awards. From Mollet del Vallès to Barcelona, from injury rehabilitation to European success, and now to a new beginning in London, Alexia Putellas has earned her place among the greatest players in women’s football.
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