Alexia Putellas wins her third Ballon d’Or: the career behind the headline

Alexia Putellas won her third Ballon d’Or Féminin at London’s Palladium Theatre on October 26, 2026. The award reconnects two parts of her story: the player who first reached the summit in 2021 and 2022, and the experienced midfielder opening a new chapter in England. For anyone meeting her through this week’s headlines, the career behind the trophy is the more interesting introduction.

Who is Alexia Putellas?

Born in Mollet del Vallès in 1994, Putellas is a Spain international now playing for London City Lionesses. Her position matters when reading the highlights: she is a midfielder who can contribute to the finish as well as the construction of an attack. Barcelona’s own profile emphasizes her left foot and goalscoring ability. A compilation of goals therefore shows only one part of the job.

Barcelona explains why she became such a recognizable name. She joined its senior side from Levante in 2012, aged 18, and stayed for 14 seasons. Those dates turn a familiar football photograph into a longer story: the shirt became associated with a player who remained visible through several generations of teammates. Her eventual departure makes the archive especially useful for understanding how closely a career can become tied to a club.

The years between the trophies

Her route between the second and third Ballon d’Or was interrupted by a serious knee injury. UEFA records that a cruciate-ligament injury kept her out of EURO 2022; she subsequently returned and was part of Spain’s 2023 World Cup-winning squad. That sequence gives the latest award its emotional weight. A comeback has several stages, and returning to a team sheet is only one of them.

The club names in the 2026 coverage can initially look confusing. London City Lionesses is her current team; Barcelona was the setting for the previous season’s four-trophy campaign. Keeping those time frames separate explains why new reports pair an English club with so many Barcelona images. The May 2026 final photographs here belong to that earlier chapter, including the celebrations with teammates after the European final.

Spain, portraits and public life

Spain supplies another thread running through those club changes. On October 14, Putellas reached 150 senior international appearances against the United States, according to the Spanish federation. The older national-team pictures in this article show how that continuity looks across different tournaments. A red Spain shirt and a Barcelona shirt tell related stories, but they represent separate teams, opponents and commitments within the same career.

There is also a red-carpet side to her public profile. Vogue España identified her October 26 gown as a custom Dior design by Jonathan Anderson. Our cover photograph records a different occasion: the Goya Awards on February 28, 2026. Its dark draped silhouette, pale gloves and necklace make a striking portrait; it is an archive image, not a photograph of the latest Ballon d’Or ceremony.

The strongest contrast in this selection is between an individual portrait and a shared celebration. In MichaelEmilio’s May 2026 photographs, Putellas is surrounded by teammates, wears the captain’s armband, and celebrates alongside Irene Paredes. Read together, those pictures make a simple point about individual awards: the name on the trophy belongs to one person, while the environment that allows a footballer to succeed is collective.

What to watch next

If the award persuades you to watch her play, try following a whole sequence rather than jumping straight to the shot. Notice where the midfielder stands before receiving, which teammate offers the next pass, and what changes after the ball leaves her foot. These are useful questions for watching any playmaker. They give a newcomer something concrete to follow without requiring a tactical vocabulary or a preferred club.

The third Ballon d’Or is a strong reason to discover Putellas now. The more lasting reason to keep following her is the change of setting: what will a familiar player look like among different teammates and in a different league? That is an open sporting question, not an outcome a trophy can settle. London City and Spain are the places to watch the next part unfold.