WHAT HAPPENED?
The 31-year-old midfielder was first recognised as the best player on the planet in the women’s game back in 2021. She successfully defended that title a year on, with there seemingly no stopping the classy Catalan.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Putellas was, however, to suffer knee ligament damage on the eve of Euro 2022, with that injury keeping her sidelined for almost a year. A long road to recovery has led the Barca icon back to the top of the global game.
Getty Images SportWHAT PUTELLAS
Ahead of a bid for continental glory with Spain, Putellas has said of potentially becoming the first woman to win three Golden Balls: “The individual award is not something too important for me. But it would show that you’ve done something good and, from where I’m coming from - from the lowest of the lowest after the injury - it would give some value to the effort that was put into the recovery. We’ll see, but the most important thing is to win the Euro.”
Next Match
DID YOU KNOW?
Putellas’ domestic and international colleague Aitana Bonmati has won the last two Ballons d’Or, but she faces fierce competition for that prize in 2025. Putellas added: “Without a doubt I’m a better Alexia. I know myself a lot better, I know my qualities, I know what I have been working on. In the end, all the suffering makes you evolve as a person and as an athlete. I’ve learned to manage the bad moments a lot better, as well as the good moments.”
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Putellas hit 17 goals for Barca in the 2024-25 campaign and, having helped Spain to World Cup glory in 2023 and a Nations League triumph in 2024, is determined to complete her medal collection on Swiss soil this summer.