Putellas wins Ballon d'Or for 2nd straight year

Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas has won the Ballon d'Or Feminin for a 2nd successive year, becoming the archetypal pistillate to triumph the grant doubly since it launched successful 2018.

Putellas, 28, was named the champion women's subordinate successful the satellite astatine the Monday gala successful Paris contempt being sidelined since June with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

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She finished up of Arsenal's Beth Mead and Chelsea's Sam Kerr, who were 2nd and third, respectively.

"Without my teammates this would not person been possible," Putellas said aft receiving the award. "I privation to convey the unit and the manager and everyone progressive astatine Barcelona.

"I'm precise blessed to beryllium backmost present and pleased due to the fact that a twelvemonth agone I was capable to triumph this prize and it pushed maine to privation to beryllium adjacent better."

Prior to her wounded successful the summer, Putellas captained Barcelona to a 3rd successive Primera Division title. The Catalan broadside made past by winning each 30 of their league games passim the 2021-22 campaign.

She besides led Barcelona to occurrence successful the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa de la Reina to implicit a home treble, though they came up abbreviated successful the Champions League.

Putellas' onslaught successful the last was not capable to halt French broadside Lyon from beating Barcelona 3-1 successful Turin.

However, aft scoring 11 goals successful the Champions League, much than immoderate different subordinate successful the competition, Putellas was aboriginal named UEFA Women's Player of the Year up of Mead and Lena Oberdorf.

In summation to those 11 goals successful Europe, she scored 18 league goals from midfield, 4 successful the Copa de la Reina and 1 successful the Super Cup.

Putellas had hoped occurrence would travel for Spain successful the summer, but she tore her near ACL successful grooming with the nationalist squad up of the European Championship successful England.

She has not played since and is expected to stay retired of enactment for respective much months.

Last year, Putellas became the archetypal Spanish victor of a Ballon d'Or since Luis Suarez successful 1960. She was besides named the Best FIFA Women's Player.

The Ballon d'Or Feminin was launched successful 2018 erstwhile it was won by Lyon's Ada Hegerberg. Megan Rapinoe won it the pursuing twelvemonth earlier it was suspended successful 2020 due to the fact that of the pandemic.