Alexia Putellas has won the women's Ballon d'Or for a third time, capping a night of Spanish and Barcelona dominance at the 2026 awards in London. The 32-year-old captained Barcelona Femení to a quadruple of trophies last season and has since signed for London City Lionesses in England.
Putellas was the heartbeat of a Barcelona side that won the league title, two domestic cups and the Women's Champions League — all four trophies available to them. “I don't know what to say, too many things. Congrats to all the nominees, congrats to all the winners,” Putellas said on stage. “That so many Barça players were nominated says a lot about the season we had. … It was my honor to be your captain.”
Putellas finished ahead of Barcelona team-mate Ewa Pajor in second and Manchester City's Khadija Shaw in third. The women's top five was:
| Rank | Player | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexia Putellas | Barcelona / London City Lionesses |
| 2 | Ewa Pajor | Barcelona |
| 3 | Khadija Shaw | Manchester City |
| 4 | Melchie Dumornay | OL Lyonnes |
| 5 | Patri Guijarro | Barcelona |
Putellas's third award completes a remarkable comeback. Three years ago she tore her ACL on the eve of the 2022 European Championship, shortly before claiming a second successive Ballon d'Or. She has worked her way back to the top of the game since, and on stage in London she had a message for young players everywhere: “All the boys and girls around the world, if you love football and if you want to play football, play football. It doesn't matter if you're a boy or if you're a girl. Doesn't matter where you come from. Don't listen if someone tells you, you can't do it. Believe in yourself.”
Full list of the night's other winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Men's Kopa Trophy (best under-21 player) | Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) — third straight win |
| Women's Kopa Trophy (best under-21 player) | Vicky López (Barcelona) — second straight win |
| Men's Yashin Trophy (goalkeeper) | Unai Simón (Athletic Bilbao) |
| Women's Yashin Trophy (goalkeeper) | Cata Coll (Barcelona) |
| Gerd Müller Trophy (top scorers) | Harry Kane (73 goals) & Charlyn Corral (Pachuca) |
| Men's Coach of the Year | Luis de la Fuente (Spain) |
| Women's Coach of the Year | Pere Romeu (Barcelona Femení) |
| Men's Club of the Year | Paris Saint-Germain |
| Women's Club of the Year | Barcelona |
| Sócrates Award | Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) |
It was a clean sweep for Spain and Barcelona across the night. Yamal, who finished third in the men's Ballon d'Or voting behind winner Harry Kane, won the young-player award for a third successive year after winning La Liga with Barcelona and the World Cup with Spain. De la Fuente was named men's coach of the year after leading Spain to a second men's World Cup title, while Paris Saint-Germain were named men's club of the year for a second season running.
Barcelona's women won the club award after winning all four trophies and losing just one game all season, and Saka's Sócrates Award recognised his charity work with BigShoe. The ceremony, the 70th edition of the awards, was held at the London Palladium to mark 70 years since Stanley Matthews won the first Ballon d'Or.