Alexia Putellas won the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or, claiming the prestigious award for a third time and matching Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati’s record.
The 32-year-old brought her 14-year Barcelona career to a close over the summer, joining Women’s Super League side London City Lionesses.
After playing a huge part in Barcelona’s rise to the top of women’s football, she sought a new challenge after winning the Champions League for a fourth time and completing another quadruple.
“It’s the perfect story what I left in Barca” Putellas said, after picking up the award. “If at some point I had to dream how my career would be at Barca, I would never say that.
“It was something special, something magic. I’m really grateful for having 14 seasons there as a aplayer, I think it’s something incredible.
“What I experienced last year was like a perfect story.”
Putellas first won the Ballon d’Or in 2021 before retaining the award in 2022, despite an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury that ruled her out of Euro 2022 and much of the 2022-23 season.
She said the experience of receiving the award while overcoming injury gave her added motivation to return stronger.
Putellas and Bonmati, who was not nominated this year due to a prolonged injury, have been the only recipients of the Ballon d’Or in the last six years, reflecting Spain’s wider success on the international stage.
Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup before reaching the final of Euro 2025, ultimately losing out to England.
Asked about this period of dominance in Spanish football, Putellas added: “I think it’s something special, we are living in an incredible moment.
“I think it’s cultural because football is in our blood in our country. It doesn’t matter if it’s women’s football or men’s football, it doesn’t matter if it’s the young teams, senior teams.
“We are living something special and it’s on us, because we want to keep doing the things we are doing now.”