Putellas Claims Third Ballon d'Or, Matching Bonmatí's Record

Alexia Putellas has been named the Ballon d'Or Feminin winner for a third time, matching the record of three awards held by her Barcelona and Spain teammate Aitana Bonmatí. It is a remarkable return for a player whose career was disrupted by a serious knee injury in 2022 and who had to fight her way back to the level that made her the best in the world.

Putellas first won the prize in 2021 and retained it in 2022, when her performances helped Barcelona dominate domestic and European football. Those two seasons established her as the most influential midfielder of her generation, combining precise passing with a knack for arriving in the box at the right moment. A knee problem then sidelined her for a long spell, and many observers wondered whether she would ever return to the peak of her powers.

Her comeback has answered those doubts. Putellas has resumed her role as the creative engine of the Barcelona side, and her influence on the pitch has been clear in the big matches. Her work for Spain has continued in the same vein, with her control of the tempo in midfield giving the national team a calm, measured shape.

Bonmatí has been the dominant figure in the award for the past three years, winning in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Putellas's third trophy means the two Barcelona players now share the record, and it underlines how much the club has shaped the women's game over the last half decade. Few teams have produced two players of this calibre at the same time.

The award is voted on by coaches, captains and journalists, so the result reflects a broad consensus about who had the best season. For Putellas, it is a personal milestone and a reminder that her quality has never really gone away. Whether she can push ahead of Bonmatí in the years to come will depend on how her body holds up, but for now she stands alongside the very best the award has ever recognised.