Alexia Putellas Retains UEFA Women’s Player Of The Year Award

FC Barcelona’s captain Alexia Putellas became the first woman in history to be voted the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year for two successive years in Istanbul today. This, in spite of playing no part at the recent UEFA Women’s Euro tournament in England.

Putellas finished 13 points ahead in the voting of Arsenal and England’s Beth Mead, the Player of the Tournament at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, and 50 ahead of VfL Wolfsburg and German midfielder Lena Oberdorf, the Young Player of the Tournament.

Denmark’s Pernille Harder was the only woman to previously win the accolade, voted on by a combination of coaches in the women’s game and a group of journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM), on two separate occasions, receiving the award in 2018 and 2020.

Due to poor scheduling of the awards which often clashed with women’s international dates and more recently Covid-restrictions on travel, Putellas became the first woman since 2017 to collect the trophy in person. On receiving the award in Istanbul, Putellas paid tribute to her FC Barcelona colleagues. “I want to thank my teammates, the coaching staff and the people at the Club because they help me continue to grow and learn.”

Putellas, also the current holder of the Ballon d’Or and The Best FIFA Women’s Player of 2021, tore her anterior cruciate ligament days before the start of that tournament in England and played no part in the championship as Spain went out in the quarter-finals to the host nation. Such is the severity of her injury, it is inconceivable that Putellas will play again this calendar year. Putellas said “I’m recovering day by day to go back to doing what I love the most: playing.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not able to do what I love doing most, so being here again motivates me. The coming year will be a tough one for me but I want to get back to playing and training and to be able to do my job, which is what I like doing most. I’m working towards that with my recovery every day.”

Putellas looked back on playing in front of two world record attendances as the highlight of her past season. “The most special moment was without doubt playing the two games at Camp Nou. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my club. I was able to fulfil a dream that all Barça fans have, which is to play at a sold-out Camp Nou.”

Despite other players such as Mead stealing the headlines at the UEFA Women’s Euro, such was Putellas’ dominance over the season as a whole that she did enough to claim the award for a second year in succession with her individual performances surpassing the standards she set the previous season.

In twelve games for Spain going into the UEFA Women’s Euro, Putellas scored eight goals as they went into the competition unbeaten since 2020. Putellas also had an outstanding club season with FC Barcelona winning the Spanish treble of League, Cup and Supercup scoring 34 goals in all competitions from midfield. Indeed, the club won all 36 domestic matches they played in.

She was no less important in the UEFA Champions League scoring 11 goals to finish the season’s top scorer in the competition ahead of VfL Wolfsbug’s Tabea Waßmuth. Despite scoring in the final, she was unable to lead FC Barcelona to successive European titles as they succumbed to the serial European champions, Olympique Lyonnais in the Turin final.

Putellas was also named last week in the 20-player shortlist to retain her Ballon D’Or award which will be decided in Paris in October. It remains to be seen whether her performances in the first half of the year will be sufficient for her to become the first woman to win that coveted award on two occasions.