Alexia Putellas wins women's Ballon d'Or award

Posted November 29, 2021 6:00 am

The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - Alexia Putellas won the women's Ballon d'Or award for the first time on Monday after an outstanding season with Barcelona and Spain.

The 27-year-old midfielder helped Barca win the treble and scored 26 goals in 42 games overall. She netted in the Champions League final against Chelsea, and in August she was named UEFA women's player of the year.

'œI'm very emotional, it's a very special moment,'ť she said at the Paris ceremony through a translator. 'œI would like to start by thanking all my teammates, especially my current (Barcelona) teammates. For me it's a collective success.'ť

The only previous women's award winners are Norway striker Ada Hegerberg in 2018, and U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe in 2019. The 2020 awards were canceled because the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the season.

The men's award followed later Monday.

Putellas finished ahead of club and country teammate Jenni Hermoso, who netted 31 goals to top the Spanish first division scoring charts for a third straight season. Hermoso was joint-top scorer in the Champions League with Chelsea's Fran Kirby on six goals.

Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr placed third in the voting after 21 goals in the English Women's Super League and then six for Australia at the Tokyo Games. Kerr has maintained her excellent form with 13 goals in 12 games this season.

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