On Monday evening in France Alexia Putellas was once again crowned as the best female footballer as she scooped her second successive Ballon D’Or.
She pipped European Championship winner and top goal scorer Beth Mead and Chelsea’s lead forward and WSL winner Sam Kerr to the award, to become the first woman to retain the trophy.
The 28 year old enjoyed another remarkable domestic season before a cruciate ligament injury on the eve of this summer’s European Championships cruelly robbed her of the opportunity to shine on the international stage.
It has ruled her out of action for the foreseeable future, but the Ballon D’Or win has allowed us once again to reflect on the remarkable talent Putellas possesses and what a huge loss she continues to be for club and country.
The influential playmaker is integral to Barcelona, the statistics making that abundantly clear. The Spanish international is the second highest ever goal scorer and appearance maker for the club, as well as having the most caps for her country.
She was the Champions League top scorer this season, netting eleven goals in ten games, including one in the final as Barcelona lost 3-1 to Lyon.
She enjoyed more success individually and collectively on the domestic front, captaining La Blaugrana to a treble, which included an unbeaten league season as they won all 30 games. She played a huge part in the triumph, scoring 18 goals in the process whilst also providing 15 assists, finishing as Barcelona’s top scorer and the league’s top provider.
She scored over 30 goals in all competitions for the first time in her career and as in the previous campaign, finished as Europe’s highest scoring midfielder with 34 goals. Whilst she faced stiff competition from Mead, who was England’s star player as they won their first ever major tournament in the summer, and from Kerr who fired Chelsea to a third straight WSL crown, Putellas contribution to her club throughout the year simply cannot be matched.
Her versatility is also huge to Barcelona, as she is regularly deployed across the midfield and forward line and delivers no matter where she plays. She possesses all the attributes you would associate with a high performing Barcelona midfielder, incredible vision, creativity, a great passing range and a ruthless streak in front of goal.
Her leadership qualities are also to be admired, she has been in Barcelona’s leadership group since the age of 23 and assumed the captaincy on a full time basis last year, delivering the performances to warrant her taking the armband.
She is quickly becoming one of the most decorated women’s players ever seen, winning the trophies to match her incredible talents. She is already a legend at Barcelona, not bad for a player who started her career at near rivals Espanyol.
Putellas and Barcelona’s upward trajectory have overlapped since she arrived back at the Catalan club in 2012, and they look certain to continue their dominance together, at least in the foreseeable future as she has renewed her contract to stay at the club until at least 2024.
Unfortunately, a large part of the next year of that deal will see Putellas work hard on her recovery, but here’s hoping she will return late next year and get back to her best to remind everyone that we are witnessing a true generational talent and an expert at her craft.