Soccer Star, Alexia Putellas Wins Second Successive Women’s Ballon d’Or
Soccer Star, Alexia Putellas Wins Second Successive Women’s Ballon d’Or
Alexia Putellas of Spain won the women’s Ballon d’Or on Monday for the second year in a row. She received the honor following a season in which she led all scorers as her side Barcelona advanced to the Champions League final.
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After a season that saw Barcelona win the domestic league and cup double and saw the 28-year-old Putellas defeat tough competition, including three stars from the England side that won the European Championship, the prize was given to Putellas.
The award, which was given out at a celebrity-studded ceremony at the Chatelet Theatre in the heart of Paris, is a solace for Putellas, who is presently recovering from a catastrophic knee injury.
The injury saw her miss the Euro in England in July and means she is unlikely to play at all this season.
Soccer Star, Alexia Putellas Wins Second Successive Women’s Ballon d’Or
“It makes me even more annoyed to be injured, but I am very happy to be here,” Putellas said.
“To retain the trophy is much harder. When I injured my knee I thought my chances of winning it had gone but in the end the jury based their decision on the whole of last season, of which I only missed one month.”
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Putellas scored 11 goals in the Champions League last season as holders Barcelona reached the final but lost to Lyon.
It is just the fourth time that a women’s Ballon d’Or has been awarded, with Norway’s Ada Hegerberg winning the inaugural prize in 2018 before United States superstar Megan Rapinoe succeeded her in 2019.
There was no Ballon d’Or gala in 2020 due to the pandemic before Putellas won it for the first time last year after helping Barca to Women’s Champions League glory for the first time in their history.
Soccer Star, Alexia Putellas Wins Second Successive Women’s Ballon d’Or
Putellas had already won the UEFA player of the year prize in August.
While Karim Benzema of Real Madrid is the overwhelming favorite to win the men’s prize later, the identity of the women’s winner appeared far less certain.
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Beth Mead had been a leading contender after scoring six goals for England on their run to Euro glory on home soil, their first major tournament victory.
Her England teammates Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright had also been nominated, as had Hegerberg, who helped Lyon beat Barcelona in the Champions League final.
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