Alexia Putellas: The Midfielder Who Sees the Attack Early

Alexia Putellas is a Spain midfielder who joined London City Lionesses in July 2026 after 14 years with Barcelona’s senior team. Her final Barcelona season ended with another European title and recognition as the 2025–26 Women’s Champions League Player of the Season.

She produced seven goals and seven assists in that European campaign. Fourteen direct goal contributions led the competition and demonstrated the balance in her game: Putellas can create the decisive pass, make the run that follows it, or finish the move herself.

Seeing the next space

Putellas often plays between midfield and attack, where space is limited and defenders surround the ball. Her advantage begins with awareness. She checks the field before receiving and understands which opponent may move toward her.

That information allows her to play quickly. She can turn into space, combine with a teammate, or redirect the attack before the defense settles. When she moves toward the penalty area, her timing makes her difficult to track because she often arrives after defenders have focused on the forwards.

Her left foot gives her passing and shooting range, but technique is only part of the explanation. Putellas has spent years learning when a match needs speed, patience, width, or a direct action toward goal.

Closing one chapter and beginning another

Putellas reached 500 Barcelona appearances in April 2026 and left the club after 507 matches. Barcelona recorded 232 goals and 38 team honors during her senior career, with Putellas serving as captain through much of the club’s rise.

Her move to London City creates a different challenge. She enters a newer team competing in the English top division rather than continuing inside the familiar structure she helped build in Barcelona.

That move belongs to the next chapter. Her WFA shortlist case is based primarily on the reviewed period before it: another title-winning season, high-level European production, and the ability to influence matches through both creation and scoring.

Why she is on the WFA shortlist

Putellas offers voters a case built on technical quality, measurable production, leadership, and sustained influence. Her strongest work does not always arrive through a dramatic individual run. It often appears in the decision that makes the entire attack possible.