Putellas Wins Third Ballon d’Or After ‘Se Acabó’ Fight

Alexia Putellas won the women’s 2026 Ballon d’Or in London on Monday, October 26, taking the award for a third time after rebuilding her career following a serious knee injury. The Spain midfielder also helped drive the “Se acabó” protest movement against sexism and abuse in sport after former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed her teammate Jenni Hermoso.

Putellas won her first two Ballon d’Or awards in 2021 and 2022, when she was the creative heartbeat of Barcelona. An anterior cruciate ligament tear in July 2022, as she prepared for Spain’s Euro 2022 campaign, derailed that rise. She returned with a limited role in Spain’s World Cup triumph, while Aitana Bonmatí became the leading player for club and country and won the award three times between 2023 and 2025. Le Figaro reported that Bonmatí’s season was marred by injuries, including a leg break that sidelined her.

The power behind the game

Putellas helped Barcelona regain the Champions League last season. Le Figaro reported she won her fourth Champions League title, and coverage reported Barcelona won the treble and the Spanish Super Cup during its successful 2025-26 campaign. Her award arrives after years in which injury, recovery and changes in the club’s fortunes shaped her career.

At the ceremony, Putellas thanked her teammates and said: “It is a pleasure to be here tonight. I do not know what to say, too many things! Congratulations to all the nominees, to all the winners. I want to thank my teammates. It was a great pleasure to play alongside each and every one of my teammates at Barcelona.” Michael Owen presented the award, according to the ceremony coverage.

The institution whose former president forcibly kissed Jenni Hermoso also sits in the background of Putellas’s story. Le Figaro reported that after Spain’s 2023 World Cup win, Putellas played a prominent role off the pitch, helping drive “Se acabó” — “it’s over” — as a protest against sexism and abuse in sport. The report identifies the act and the movement; it does not claim the conflict was settled.

A new club, a new chapter

After 14 years at Barcelona, Putellas moved to London City Lionesses in July. The club is owned by American businesswoman Michele Kang, who also owns Olympique Lyonnais. France 24 described the London club as aiming to be the only fully independent team in England’s top division. France 24 also reported it was just behind Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the Women’s Super League table and ahead of Arsenal.

Putellas called the move “a complete change in my life,” describing “a constant, daily learning process: the culture, the language, moving to a new country, a new city.” She said repeating her Barcelona experience “wouldn’t make much sense.” The club, she added, was “practically a brand-new club, with everything yet to be written,” and she hoped to bring its winning culture with her.

Less workload without European football was one factor she considered with Spain’s World Cup defence in mind. “There’s a long way to go, and my focus is on the day-to-day,” she said, adding that such environments could prepare her to perform at her best. She also told AFP that since her injury she had tried “to enjoy every moment as if it were my last, because you never know if it’ll happen again.” The third trophy is hers; the next chapter is still being written.