Barça footballer Alexia Putellas wins second Ballon d'Or

FC Barcelona's Alexia Putellas was awarded the 2022 Ballon d'Or for best female footballer on Monday night in Paris.

The midfielder and team captain thus became the first woman to have won the award twice after being crowned best player last year as well. She is also the only Catalan to have ever received this prize. 

"It's an honor to be a Barça player," Putellas said. "When I got injured, I thought I wouldn't be here today, but it's an honor to see the rewards of hard work," she said of the ACL injury she suffered that forced her to sit out the Euro in England last summer. 

Putellas thanked her fellow players and the club for "always being by my side."

The Catalan player was the top scorer in the Spanish women's league for the 2021-2022 season with 18 goals. Barça won the Spanish league, Queen's Cup, and Spanish Super Cup this year, but lost the European Champions League final against Lyon. 

Putellas won the Sant Jordi Cross last year, one of the Catalan government's highest civil honors.