Putellas wins third Ballon d'Or in boost for WSL's profile
Alexia Putellas has claimed a record-equalling third women's Ballon d'Or, just over a year after leaving Barcelona to join London City Lionesses in the Women's Super League.
Alexia Putellas has been named winner of the women's Ballon d'Or for a third time, matching the record for the award and doing so as a player now based in England's Women's Super League, according to Sky Sports Football.
The 32-year-old midfielder joined London City Lionesses last summer after 14 years at Barcelona, where she built the body of work that earned her this year's prize, Yahoo Sports reported.
Putellas led Barcelona to a quadruple-title season before her move to London City, and Yahoo Sports noted she fully earned the award under the current judging process, even as it argued the voting system could look beyond Europe when assessing the global game.
Her first two Ballons d'Or came at 27 and 28 years old, before a serious setback in 2022 when she suffered an ACL tear, Yahoo Sports reported.
She returned from that injury to help Spain win the World Cup in 2023 and has gone on to score more than 200 goals in over 500 appearances for Barcelona, according to the outlet.
The ceremony, co-organised by France Football magazine and UEFA, remains the sport's showcase night for individual recognition, and Barcelona's involvement extended beyond Putellas.
Pere Romeu, the Barcelona manager, was named coach of the year, a result Yahoo Sports described as unsurprising given the club's season.
Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga was the only non-European name to reach the top 10 in the voting, the outlet reported, part of its wider point that the award's panel of judges found picking a global winner in the women's game a genuinely difficult task.
Sky Sports Football's coverage framed the win as a significant moment for the Women's Super League, given Putellas now plays her club football in England rather than at one of the continent's traditional powerhouses.
Her move to London City Lionesses last summer ended a 14-year association with Barcelona, during which she established herself as one of the dominant midfielders of her generation, culminating in a career that now includes three Ballon d'Or titles, a World Cup winner's medal with Spain, and recovery from a significant knee injury that might have ended lesser careers.
With the award secured, attention in the women's game turns to how Putellas continues to influence matches for London City Lionesses in the Women's Super League, and whether her profile can lift the league's standing on the global stage in the way Sky Sports Football suggested.