Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas has been recognized as the best female football player in the world for the second consecutive year. Last season, she contributed 18 goals and 15 assists in La Liga matches. She also had 11 goals in the Champions League and four goals for the Spanish national team at the European Qualifiers.
After the awards ceremony, Alexia shared her emotions: "I'm very happy to be back here. When I won my first Ballon d'Or, I decided to improve my results in the new season and use my personal progress to benefit my team. This wouldn't have been possible without my teammates. I really appreciate it."
We will tell you about Alexia Putellas's path from a small-town girl to a world football star.
She grew up in a basketball-playing family
Alexia was born on February 4, 1994, in Mollet del Vallès near Barcelona. Her parents were professional basketball players. However, she started playing football at six.
Alexia's first club was CE Sabadell. At 12, she joined Espanyol Youth Team and played there for 4 years. At 16, Alexia had her first big success. She debuted in her first team and played in the Copa de la Reina final, where her team lost to Barça.
She had a successful season in Levante and transferred to Barcelona
That same summer, Putellas left Espanyol for Levante. Alexia's play during the 2011/12 season was beyond all praise, as she scored 15 goals in 34 matches which let her club take fifth place at the championship. Barcelona became the champion for the second time in a row, and its coaches considered signing the contract with promising Alexia.
On Barça, she started to prove herself right from the beginning. She got a starting spot and scored 27 goals in the first three seasons. But despite her good performance, Alexia often warmed the bench.
She became a regular player with the new coach
After Fran Sánchez, and then Lluís Cortés became Barcelona coaches, her team role became more important. The club had a hard time: four seasons without any wins in the championship after four consecutive titles.
Alexia's high point was in 2017 during the Champions League semifinals against PSG. She became the best player of the match and was nominated to the FifPRO Women's World. And several months later, Putellas put on the captain's band for the first time.
Alexia has achieved a lot during her professional career. Besides two Ballon d'Ors, she is a five-time champion of Spain, a Champions League winner, and a two-time Supercopa de España Femenina winner.
She cooperates with global brands
Alexia Putellas is an ambassador of many famous brands, including Nike, Isdin, VISA, and Bodysense. She is currently one of the most highly-paid female football players in the world.
Alexia's idols are Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Andrés Iniesta. She is also inspired by a French football player Louisa Nécib who played for Olympique Lyon.
She loves pets and tattoos
them is devoted to her father, Jaume, who died in 2012.
Putellas supports homeless animals in her free time by buying them food and visiting shelters. She also has a pet — a dog named Nala. She often takes her on her trips.
She advocates for gender equality in football
In her interview with BBC, Alexia Putellas said that she wanted to change football a little bit to make it the same for everyone: "I want to show the world that there is space for everyone in football – for men, women, all races… everyone. That's one of my objectives."
This smart and charming football player has won the Ballon d'Or twice. She followed her dreams, and everything worked out. So, female football has its own Lionel Messi.
