Alexia Putellas
Spanish midfielder who won three major individual awards in consecutive years.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Alèxia Putellas i Segura, often called just Alexia, is a Spanish footballer from Catalonia. She plays midfield or forward for FC Barcelona Femení in the Liga F and for Spain’s senior women’s team. By 2022, she had won every major club trophy and most individual honors a European player can get, and many consider her one of the best female footballers ever.
She began her youth career at CE Sabadell, then spent time at Barcelona before moving to Espanyol, where she played most of her youth football. After a year at Levante, she returned to Barcelona in 2012. There she won eight league titles, eight Copas de la Reina, and three UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies. In the 2020–21 season, she was key to Barcelona winning their first Champions League and a continental treble. That year she became the first player to win the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year Award, the Ballon d’Or Féminin, and The Best FIFA Women’s Player in the same year. In 2021 and again in 2022, she won all three, becoming the first woman to win any of them in back-to-back years. Barcelona won the league in 2022–23 while she was mostly out injured, then took a continental quadruple in 2023–24, including the Champions League. As of 2024, she remains an active player for Barcelona, continuing to add to her legacy.
Internationally, Putellas won two UEFA Women’s U-17 Euros (2010 and 2011), finished third at the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, and second at the 2012 UEFA Women’s U-19 Euro. She debuted for Spain’s senior team at the 2013 UEFA Women’s Euro and later played in four more major tournaments: the 2015 World Cup (Spain’s first), the 2017 Euro, the 2019 World Cup, and the 2023 World Cup, which Spain won. She captained Spain during the 2023–24 UEFA Women’s Nations League, which they also won.
Putellas has made over 500 appearances for Barcelona, ranking among the club’s all-time leaders, and is among the team’s top scorers with over 200 goals. As of 2024, she does not hold the record for most Spain appearances; that record belongs to other players. She earned her 100th cap in 2022, becoming the first Spanish woman to reach that milestone.
Putellas was born on 4 February 1994 in Mollet del Vallès, near Barcelona, to Jaume Putellas Rota and Elisabet “Eli” Segura Sabaté. She has a younger sister, Alba. She has supported Barcelona since childhood.
- born
- 4 February 1994
- field
- Footballer (midfielder/forward)
- nationality
- Spanish (Catalan)
- known_for
- Winning Ballon d'Or Féminin, UEFA Women's Player of the Year, and The Best FIFA Women's Player in 2021 and 2022; one of Barcelona's all-time top scorers but not the all-time top scorer
Lore & Background
Putellas started her youth career at CE Sabadell, then spent a year at Barcelona's La Masia before moving to Espanyol, where she played most of her youth football. After a season at Levante she returned to Barcelona in 2012, winning eight league titles, eight Copas de la Reina, and three UEFA Women's Champions League trophies. In the 2020–21 season she was essential to Barcelona's first Champions League title and continental treble. She remains an active player for Barcelona, with over 500 appearances (second-most all-time) and as one of the club's top scorers with over 200 goals, but not the all-time top scorer. On the international stage, Putellas debuted for Spain's senior team at the 2013 UEFA Women's Euro and captained Spain to victory in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and the 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League.
Reader's Guide
Putellas is significant for redefining individual excellence in women's football during the early 2020s. In 2021 she became the first player to win the UEFA Women's Player of the Year Award, Ballon d'Or Féminin, and The Best FIFA Women's Player in the same year. She repeated this feat in 2022 despite missing the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 due to an ACL injury, becoming the first woman to win any of those awards in consecutive years. Her leadership at Barcelona helped the club achieve historic trebles and quadruples, and her longevity at the top level—combined with her record as Spain's most-capped player—cements her legacy as a foundational figure in the professionalization of Spanish women's football. Her career also illustrates the challenges faced by female players in Spain before the Barcelona Femení team turned professional in 2015.
Did You Know?
- Putellas won the Ballon d'Or Féminin, UEFA Women's Player of the Year, and The Best FIFA Women's Player in both 2021 and 2022.
- She is Barcelona women's all-time top scorer with 232 goals and second in all-time appearances with 508.
- Putellas made her senior Spain debut at the 2013 UEFA Women's Euro and captained Spain to win the 2023 World Cup.
- She studied Business Administration and Management at Pompeu Fabra University before women's football became professional in Spain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alexia Putellas?
Alèxia Putellas i Segura is a Spanish midfielder and forward born on 4 February 1994 in Catalonia. She is best known for her long tenure at FC Barcelona, where she became the club's all-time leading goal scorer in women's football.
What positions does Alexia Putellas play?
Putellas operates primarily as a midfielder but also stretches into forward areas, blending technical vision with a sharp goal-scoring instinct. That dual capability makes her a versatile attacking threat in both build-up and final-third play.
What major individual awards has Alexia Putellas won?
In both 2021 and 2022 she collected the Ballon d'Or Féminin, UEFA Women's Player of the Year, and The Best FIFA Women's Player, sweeping the three top individual honours in two consecutive seasons. No other woman had achieved that specific hat-trick back-to-back before her.
What is Alexia Putellas's youth career history?
She began at CE Sabadell, then cycled through Barcelona and Espanyol academies before a year at Levante. She returned to Barcelona in 2012 and has remained there for the rest of her senior career.
Why is Alexia Putellas considered one of the greatest female footballers ever?
By 2022 she had accumulated virtually every major club trophy available in European women's football alongside a record run of individual accolades. Her sustained dominance, technical brilliance, and leadership for the Spain national team cement her place among the all-time elite.
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