Alexia Putellas is not just a footballer. She is a phenomenon. The Barcelona midfielder has been at the forefront of the Catalan club’s unprecedented success in recent years, winning two consecutive continental trebles and sweeping all the individual awards in the process. She is widely regarded as the best female player in the world, and one of the greatest of all time.

Born in Mollet del Vallès, a town near Barcelona, Alexia started playing football at the age of seven, inspired by her father and brother. She joined Sabadell, where she played with boys until she was 12. She then moved to Barcelona’s youth academy, but left after a year to join local rivals Espanyol. There, she made her senior debut at 16, and scored three goals in 25 appearances.

In 2011, she signed for Levante, where she had a breakout season, scoring 15 goals in 34 games and helping the team finish second in the league. She also made her debut for Spain’s senior national team that year, after winning two UEFA Women’s U-17 Euros and finishing runner-up in the UEFA Women’s U-19 Euro with the youth teams.

In 2012, she returned to Barcelona, where she has been ever since. She quickly established herself as a key player for the team, playing as an attacking midfielder who can also operate on the wings or as a second striker. She is known for her vision, creativity, passing, shooting, and leadership skills. She has scored 126 goals in 281 appearances for Barcelona, making her the second-highest scorer in the club’s history behind Jennifer Hermoso.

With Barcelona, she has won seven league titles, seven Copas de la Reina, and two UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies. She was instrumental in Barcelona’s historic 2020–21 season, when they became the first Spanish team to win the Champions League, beating Chelsea 4-0 in the final. They also won the league and the cup, completing the first continental treble in women’s football history.

Alexia scored 11 goals in that Champions League campaign, making her the top scorer of the tournament. She also scored a stunning free-kick against Real Madrid in the league, and a brace against Atletico Madrid in the cup final. She was named the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year, the Ballon d’Or Féminin winner, and The Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2021, becoming the first player to win all three awards in the same year.

She repeated the feat in 2022, despite missing most of the season due to an ACL injury that ruled her out of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. She still managed to score six goals in eight games before her injury, and returned to action in April to help Barcelona clinch their seventh consecutive league title. She also came off the bench in the Champions League final, where Barcelona staged a remarkable comeback to beat Wolfsburg 3-2 and retain their crown. She lifted the trophy as Barcelona’s captain, and was once again voted as the best player in Europe and the world.

On the international stage, Alexia has been a regular for Spain since 2012, earning 101 caps and scoring 28 goals. She has played in four major tournaments with Spain: the 2013 and 2017 Euros, and the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. She has also represented Catalonia on three occasions, scoring one goal.