Alexia Putellas, who plays for Barcelona and Spain, has been declared the winner of the Ballon d’or Feminin, the award for the best female football player in a season. This is the second time in succession that Putellas, the Blaugrana captain, has been declared the Ballon d’Or Féminin winner. She is the only female player ever to win the award consecutively.

Putellas started her youth career at the Catalan club Espanyol and plied her trade for Levante in the Primera Division before moving to Barcelona in 2012. She was a part of the Blaugrana side that won the Copa de la Reina de Fútbol on seven different occasions, the Primera Division on six occasions, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League once. In her 271 appearances for the club till date, Putellas has netted in a total of 117 goals.

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During the 2021-22 season, the Barcelona women’s team won the continental treble for the first time in history, and Putellas had a major role to play in their success. Besides the Ballon d’Or, she was also declared the winner of the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year Award and The Best FIFA Women’s Player for the season. This was the first time that a single player managed to win all the aforementioned three individual honours.

A left-footed winger just like another Barcelona legend, Lionel Messi, Putellas caught the attention of the world when she played in the 2010 UEFA U-17 Women’s Championship. Even Andres Iniesta has called her “role model” who stands for the values the club represents.

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The 28-year-old often finds herself as one of the highest goal contributors for her side. She finished the previous season as the highest scorer among all European female midfielders. She has cited Barcelona legends like Andres Iniesta, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho as her inspirations, along with former Olympique Lyonnais player Louisa Nécib.