Afrigather Spain’s Alexia Putellas received the ladies’s Ballon d’Or for the second 12 months operating on Monday, the reward coming after a season wherein she was the highest scorer as her membership Barcelona reached the Champions League closing.
The 28-year-old Putellas noticed off stiff competitors, notably from three stars of the England group that received the European Championship, to take the award following a marketing campaign that additionally noticed Barcelona win a home league and cup double.
The prize, awarded at a star-studded ceremony on the Chatelet Theatre in central Paris, is a comfort for Putellas who’s presently recovering from a critical knee harm.
The harm noticed her miss the Euro in England in July and means she is unlikely to play in any respect this season.
“It makes me much more aggravated to be injured, however I’m very comfortable to be right here,” Putellas mentioned.
“To retain the trophy is far tougher. After I injured my knee I believed my possibilities of profitable it had gone however in the long run the jury primarily based their choice on the entire of final season, of which I solely missed one month.”
Putellas scored 11 targets within the Champions League final season as holders Barcelona reached the ultimate however misplaced to Lyon.
It’s simply the fourth time {that a} ladies’s Ballon d’Or has been awarded, with Norway’s Ada Hegerberg profitable the inaugural prize in 2018 earlier than United States famous person Megan Rapinoe succeeded her in 2019.
There was no Ballon d’Or gala in 2020 as a result of pandemic earlier than Putellas received it for the primary time final 12 months after serving to Barca to Ladies’s Champions League glory for the primary time of their historical past.
Putellas had already received the UEFA participant of the 12 months prize in August.
Whereas Karim Benzema of Actual Madrid is the overwhelming favorite to win the boys’s prize later, the id of the ladies’s winner appeared far much less sure.
Beth Mead had been a number one contender after scoring six targets for England on their run to Euro glory on house soil, their first main match victory.
Her England teammates Lucy Bronze and Millie Shiny had additionally been nominated, as had Hegerberg, who helped Lyon beat Barcelona within the Champions League closing.
AFP
