London City's Putellas wins record-equalling third Ballon d'Or

Barcelona and Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas wins the Ballon d'Or Feminin for a record-equalling third time. Alexia Putellas won four trophies with Barcelona last season and 38 over the course of 14 years Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d'Or Feminin for a record-equalling third time, keeping the prize in Spanish hands for a sixth consecutive year. Putellas, 32, captained Barcelona to Champions League glory as part of a quadruple in 2025-26, before joining Women's Super League (WSL) side London City Lionesses in July. Putellas joins Spain team-mate Aitana Bonmati on three Ballon d'Or Feminin crowns – her former Barcelona colleague won the award in 2023, 2024 and 2025 after Putellas did so in 2021 and 2022.

The past six Ballons d'Or have been won by the Spanish pair, with Norway's Ada Hegerberg (2018) and Megan Rapinoe of the United States (2019) the only non-Spaniards to claim the prize. Putellas' latest victory caps a remarkable return to the pinnacle of world football after suffering a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in 2022. While Barcelona are always overwhelming favourites to win the three competitions on offer in Spain, Putellas' performances last season showed that she is still among the world's elite. Nicknamed 'La Reina' – meaning the queen – Putellas scored 21 goals and provided 13 assists in