Alexia Putellas has equalled Aitana Bonmatí’s record with a third Ballon d’Or. Here’s why the London City Lionesses captain’s win is a landmark for the Barclays WSL.
Alexia Putellas’ arrival at London City Lionesses this summer was a watershed moment for the Barclays Women’s Super League. Her historic Ballon d’Or win represents another one.
Holding the game’s most coveted individual accolade is nothing new for Putellas – it’s the third time she’s picked up the award, equalling the record of compatriot and winner in each of the previous three years Aitana Bonmati – but it is new for the BWSL: never before has a player from England’s top flight been crowned the best in the world. It emphatically reinforces the league’s claim to being the best in the world.
Putellas’ latest success also underlines the desire of the game’s very best to come to the BWSL while at the peak of their powers. Yes, she ultimately won the Ballon d’Or for her quadruple-inspiring exploits at Barcelona last season, but she’s continued to prove why she’s one of the greatest of all time (as if she needed to) since joining the hugely ambitious Lionesses.
And the impact of Putellas’ presence in the BWSL shouldn’t be underestimated. Evidently, the league was already an eminently attractive destination – players of her calibre in her prime don’t make such moves if that’s not the case – but boasting the star bestowed with the Ballon d’Or elevates the reputation of the competition that bit more. It’s the ultimate validation.
Saying that, it’s not as though the BWSL’s ever-rising stock hasn’t been recognised in the Ballon d’Or voting before: just last year, Arsenal duo Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo placed second and third respectively. Indeed, since the award was first presented in 2018, the Ballon d’Or Femenin top 10 has featured three or more BWSL players on all but two occasions (the award was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid). This year, once again, the top three included two: as Putellas took the top prize, Golden Boot-winning Manchester City star Bunny Shaw finished third.
But the BWSL is now bigger than ever – literally, having grown to 14 teams, and metaphorically, such was the influx of top talent during the last transfer window, headlined by the Lionesses landing Putellas – and being home to the Ballon d’Or winner marks the league out as the gold standard.
It’s a rating backed up by the performance of BWSL players in other Ballon d’Or categories. Chelsea’s Veerle Buurman was named the third-best young player in the world, and Man City’s Ayaka Yamashita and Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton were named as the third and fourth-best goalkeepers in the world respectively.
Another signifier of the BWSL’s general strength is the number of clubs represented in the various rankings. While six of top 30 Ballon d’Or finishers are based in Spain, they all play for Barcelona – the clear powerhouse in Liga F. By contrast, the eight BWSL-based players on the list are spread across four clubs: current league leaders Chelsea, reigning champions City, the upwardly mobile Lionesses, and three-time champions Arsenal – the first three of whom look like especially serious title contenders this term.
Putellas might have secured her third Ballon d’Or while still a Barcelona player – but she didn’t actually get her hands on it until she was a London City Lionesses player, and that is a very big deal for the BWSL.
