Alexia Putellas, a Ballon d’Or to lead the women’s soccer revolution

The next challenge for Putellas, perhaps the most difficult, is the one that goes beyond what happens on the pitch. Signs say that you can become the figure that women’s football needs in this country to get to the next level. He now enjoys a position of force and of visibilityNot surprisingly, the best player in the world is in Spain. An icon.

All girls want to be like Alexia… and all boys, too. The Catalan has served as a leader in a relentless Barça that has not only won, it has devastated. A historic triplet with the Primera Iberdrola, the Copa de la Reina and the first Champions League in the club’s history.

Pioneer

Putellas became the first Spanish woman to be awarded the Ballon d’Or, an award given by the magazine France Football, and in the second person after Luis Suarez, which he achieved in 1960. Mollet’s was escorted in second place on the podium by his partner Jenni Beautiful. “It is an individual award, but without a doubt it is a collective success,” said the Culé player at the Châtelet Theater in Paris, who takes over from a banner of vindication as it is Megan Rapinoe.

With Putellas, this unwritten or scientifically proven maxim is also fulfilled that the left-handed a special aura accompanies them. Versatile on the field, both on the left and organizing in the center or in attack, always putting quality at the service of the block. In September he renewed his contract with the Barça entity until 2024.

His roots with Barcelona run deep. When I was little I used to go to the Camp Nou in the coach of the Peña Mollet, although his consecration in the team of his loves has not been easy. Had a round trip. His path began in Sabadell, then he went to the culé squad and then to Espanyol, with whom he debuted in the First Division at 16 years old, and continued in the Levante before returning home in 2012. Putellas has gradually worked his career until 2021 in which his meteoric explosion took place.

Family

A bumpy ride. In sports and, above all, personally. Because Putellas lost his father when he was 18 years. Since then, all his successes have been dedicated to him. “I hope you are very proud of your daughter wherever you are. It’s going for you, dad! ”, He proclaimed upon receiving the Ballon d’Or in an emotional speech that even brought tears to the eyes of Joan Laporta. But Mollet’s is not alone, far from it. He always surrounds himself with his mother, sister, and aunt.

It has been a year round that started with an achievement not tangible, although full of symbolism. Putellas scored the first goal scored by a woman at the Camp Nou, in the derby against Espanyol (5-0). A signed target going out of its usual script: with a header to the squad after taking a corner. The protagonist later confessed that she was “not aware of where she was playing until later.”

A moment to frame and remember: “After the celebration with the teammates, on the way to our field, I was left alone for a moment and that’s when I realized that I had scored the first women’s Barça goal at the Camp Nou”. A specialist in naming stadiums, since the first goal of the Johan Cruyff it also bears the seal of Putellas.

The Barça team took a walk in the Primera Iberdrola last season. 33 victorias and a defeat, with 167 goals for and 15 against. The new queen of world football added 18 notches in league and 26 among all competitions. Barcelona has followed the same path this season, counting their matches in the domestic tournament as triumphs and Putellas touching double digits in goals and assists. In fact, she is the player who has given the most goal passes.

The Champions

The Catalans were proclaimed Cup champions thanks to Lluis Cortés, who resigned by surprise in the summer and was relieved by Jonatan Giráldez. They beat Levante (4-2) in the final and Putellas was voted MVP without discussion after scoring a couple of goals.

With the national scene dominated, Barcelona was left with the thorn of the Champions League. The long-awaited title that appeared at the top of the pyramid and for which the club decided to put together a project full of stars. The culés left the Manchester City and to PSG, Being the Chelsea the last stumbling block in Gothenburg. Their hunger was voracious and they passed over the London team: 0-4, with all the goals in the first half.

Putellas did not miss the appointment despite being a doubt until hours before due to muscular discomfort and signed the 0-2 penalty. A collective treble that led to UEFA naming the Barcelona captain as best footballer of 2021 and also as the most prominent midfielder in the Champions League.

His milestones this year have transcended the sport. She has also been the first footballer to obtain the Saint George’s Cross, “One of the highest recognitions that a person can receive from the Generalitat de Catalunya”. It all adds up to a revolution in women’s football that has Putellas in the front line of the battle.

“The true triumph will come when we achieve one hundred percent equal opportunities for boys and girls in the world of sport and in the world in general. We have the responsibility to lead the change because we have come to stay, “he said from the podium.

With Spain

But the past is not lived and Putellas looks to the future. Apart from continuing to repeat titles with Barça, what remains is to break the mold with the Spanish team. He was not in the Tokyo Games because they did not obtain the classification, however on his horizon the Eurocup from 2022 in England, the inventor country of football. Spain will face each other in the group stage with Germany, Denmark Y Finland and the final will take place at the legendary Wembley.

The one of Mollet has become in 2021 in the player with more caps, surpassing the 90 of Marta Torrejon, and he has done it without the characteristic number 11 that he wears in Barcelona. Since last year, Putellas decided to wear the 14 in tribute to Virginia Torrecilla, who suffered a brain tumor already overcome and tries to return to soccer practice. Although he only keeps it until he returns to Spain. Both players made their debut at the same time with the national team in 2013 and had previously shared adventures in the lower categories.

Precarious League

The brilliance of the Ballon d’Or contrasts with the day-to-day reality of the Primera Iberdrola in which Putellas works. Without going any further, on December 18, the almighty Barça won (4-0) to Vallecano Ray, a history of the competition that is going through a very delicate moment. With his footballers publicly denouncing the deficiencies they suffer. One of them was injured at the Johan Cruyff and had to be treated by the Barça medical services, something that is not the first time that has happened to them.

And without ignoring the war of the statutes that continues in force. The parties do not finish reaching an agreement, although now it seems close, so that the league cannot acquire the aspect of professional and the consequence is that it remains stagnant with no room for evolution. The players themselves showed their disappointment in November with the intention of unlocking the mess.

Soccer is the sport with the most pressing gender differences in Spain. It’s not about catching up with the men’s league, they fight for a few decent conditions that serve as foundations to be able to grow. At the moment, the competition is anchored to precariousness. Of course, a figure like Alexia Putellas who has won everything can serve as a loudspeaker for their voices to be heard.