What's happened
Spain captain Alexia Putellas has won a third Ballon d’Or Feminin, joining Aitana Bonmati with three wins. The award comes after Barcelona’s quadruple-winning 2025-26 season and Putellas’s return to elite form following her ACL injury in 2022. She now represents London City Lionesses in the English top flight.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- Putellas’s third Ballon d’Or Feminin signals ongoing Spanish dominance in women’s football, reinforced by Barcelona’s treble and regular Champions League success.
- Her return from a career-threatening ACL injury demonstrates the resilience and depth of Barcelona’s squad, and underscores the modern player’s capacity to perform at the highest level after injury.
- The move to London City Lionesses reflects a broader investment trend in women’s football, potentially widening the talent pool in the FA WSL.
- The award cadence, with Bonmati also a multiple-time winner, highlights Spain’s control of the top individual honours in recent years, suggesting a shift in the global balance of power in women’s football.
How we got here
Putellas has spent 14 years at Barcelona, winning 38 trophies before moving to the London City Lionesses in 2026 as part of a wave of high-profile signings. She has previously claimed Ballon d’Or titles in 2021 and 2022, with Bonmati also dominating recent editions.
Our analysis
New York Times: Putellas’s Ballon d’Or win; BBC Sport: Bonmati’s continued dominance; BBC Business: detailed stats on Putellas’ season and Barcelona’s performance.
Go deeper
- Will Putellas’s Ballon d’Or influence transfers next season?
- How will London City Lionesses leverage her presence to grow the club's profile?
- Which other players could emerge as contenders in next year’s Ballon d’Or Feminin?
More on these topics
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Spain - Country
Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula.
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Alexia Putellas - Spanish footballer
Alexia Putellas Segura is a Spanish footballer who plays for Barcelona and the Spain national team. She has played in the Champions League, won four league titles and two Spanish cups with Barcelona. She previously played for RCD Espanyol and Levante UD.
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Futbol Club Barcelona - Football club
Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a Spanish professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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Khadija Shaw - Jamaican association football player
Khadija Monifa "Bunny" Shaw ( khə-DEE-jə; born 31 January 1997) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League club Manchester City and captains the Jamaica women's national team. Widely considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, she is Manchester City's all-time top goalscorer, Jamaica's all-time top goalscorer, holds the record for most hat tricks in the WSL, and was awarded CONCACAF Player of the Year in 2022. Shaw previously played for Division 1 club Bordeaux, became top scorer in the 2020–21 season, and was twice awarded Player of the Month. With Manchester City, she is a League Cup winner and was voted Player of the Season for the club as top scorer in the 2022–23 season. For the same season, Shaw was named in the WSL Team of the Year, and twice awarded WSL Player of the Month. The following season, she was named FWA Women's Footballer of the Year.
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Ewa Pajor - Football forward
Ewa Pajor is a Polish football striker, currently playing for VfL Wolfsburg. She is the youngest player to have played in the highest Polish women league, in the Ekstraliga, at the age of 15 and 133 days.
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Aitana Bonmatí - Football player
Aitana Bonmatí Conca is a Spanish football midfielder currently playing for Barcelona in the Spanish First Division. She had been a member of the club's youth system. She is also a member of the Spain women's national football team.