Alexia Putellas a worthy Ballon d’Or winner but the limited shortlist illustrates flaws
Neglect of African football and a third win for the Spanish great does little to challenge narrative that the prize is reserved only for players of the top nations
After a four-year wait, Alexia Putellas is the queen of women’s football once again. Receiving the Ballon d’Or for a record-equalling third time to continue Spain’s domination of this award, the 32-year-old reinforces her status as one of the greatest players of all time.
It was the sixth consecutive year in which the honour went to either Putellas or her international teammate, Aitana Bonmatí, and it was symbolic of Putellas’ resurgence after her comeback from the anterior cruciate ligament injury she suffered in her left knee in 2022, her refusal to surrender her career to that setback, and her majestic rise back to the top.
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The midfielder’s competition-leading 14 goal contributions – eight goals and six assists – in 11 Women’s Champions League appearances last season, helping Barcelona lift the European title, went a long way to her securing the most votes, as well as her starring role in Spain’s victory in the Women’s Nations League finals last December. Her new club, London City Lionesses, will rejoice in the prestige of having the Ballon d’Or winner in their squad but Putellas, who spent 14 yeas at Barcelona, made it clear whom she wanted to thank as she said in her acceptance speech “This prize is for Barcelona.”
Barcelona collected a clean sweep of the night’s bigger awards, with Cata Coll taking the goalkeeper prize, Pere Romeu the coach award and Vicky López the young player award, as well as Ewa Pajor finishing second behind Putellas for the main honour and Clara Serrajordi finishing second in the young player vote. It was almost a perfect night for the European champions, until their president, Joan Laporta, bizarrely spoke about his belief that their men’s team could win this season’s Champions League, appearing to only have eyes for the men’s game despite specifically accepting the award for the women’s club of the year.
That Freudian slip aside, Monday night’s glamorous ceremony at the The London Palladium passed off without the sexist controversy that tarnished the early years after France Football belatedly added the women’s award for the first time in 2018. Progress has been made – the women’s game does now at least receive a prize for the same categories as the men, but the event still does not quite offer full equality. Specifically, there is still not quite parity in the lengths of shortlists. Why, for example, were 10 players nominated for the men’s young talent award, but only five for the women’s? It was the same for the goalkeeper awards.
The live show also demonstrated a disappointing lack of women’s players or former women’s players presenting prizes, aside from Lucy Bronze, who was on stage to hand López her prize. Putellas receiving the Ballon d’Or Féminin from Michael Owen, rather than, perhaps Mia Hamm, Birgit Prinz or Sun Wen, perhaps served as a reminder that there are very few formers winners of the women’s prize for the organisers to choose from – only Ada Hegerberg, Megan Rapinoe, Putellas and Bonmatí have won this trophy – because it was introduced so late, in 2018.
