When the Ballon d'Or for best female footballer is dished out on Monday night, the chances are it will be a familiar figure that lifts the coveted trophy. Spanish icons Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas have hoovered up the past five awards - and Putellas is favourite to win it for a third time. In May, the now London City Lionesses forward captained Barcelona to a quadruple, including a third Champions League trophy in four years and their seventh straight Liga F title.
Arguably, the only reason Bonmati is not in the running this time is because of a serious leg injury suffered on international duty in November 2025. So will Putellas clean up once again? Is this trophy yet another example of Spain's increasing dominance of the women's game?
Or does anyone else on the 30-strong shortlist stand a chance of wrenching it from her grasp? In Barcelona, Spain boast the world's most dominant club side. The Catalans have contested seven of the past eight Champions League finals (winning four) and have been domestic champions every year since 2019-20, clinching the title by an average of 15 points above second place in that time.
Then, there is the national team. World champions in 2023, losing finalists at the Euros to England in 2025 and then winners of the Nations League last December, beating Germany in the final. At the heart of all this success has been Putellas, who scored 21 goals and produced 13 assists during Barcelona's sensational season.
And it is not just her output that makes her case. Her all-round influence captaining an already stellar side cannot be overstated. So, with 38 trophies in her possession already, the 2021 and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner appears poised to take it once again.
"Give it to her!" Spanish football expert Guillem Balague told BBC Sport. "Along with Marta, she is the best player in history. No doubt she was the best player in this campaign – and she won everything!" Unsurprisingly, Spain have more players on the shortlist than any other nation (six) and eight of the starting line-up from the Champions League final are in the running for this award.
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