“I want to put my name alongside Johan Cruyff’s”

Original article from France Football, published in 2022.

In the small living room in Mollet del Vallès—the Catalan village of her childhood and now her mother’s home base—Alexia Putellas’s voice trembles. Someone slyly suggests the hypothesis of a second Ballon d'Or to try and coax a smile from her. "Oh… do you see what that does to me?" she smiles at the mention of the trophy, placing a hand on her stomach to signal knots and butterflies. "Just talking about it gives me chills. This trophy is special. We’ll see…" At that moment, she isn't focused on it; her left knee has snapped, and her dreams along with it. But behind her, the apartment door opens, and there it is, just a few meters away, brought by a delegation from France Football.

Happiness once again floods the small hallway, the kitchen, the dining room, and their very souls. Alexia Putellas offers a piece of herself, which is no coincidence: her modesty always accompanies her massive character and innate mental strength. She is an emotional rock, but to the extent of who she is—at least to the outside world—the mask eventually slips. She takes a deep breath: "What madness again… what a year… it’s crazy what’s happening to me. It’s a breath of fresh air. I’m shaking." It is a surprise and even a shock: the 28-year-old player has just received undoubtedly the best news of her season. "It’s already crazy enough to win one, but two…"

"I wanted to be myself, but always better"

"Alexia is like that, always conquering," someone in her family whispers, as if the greatness she forces herself to touch is no longer surprising. "When the 2021 ceremony ended," the Barça number 11 confides, "it was strange. I found myself alone, and the only thing I could think about was doing even more. I had just won the Ballon d'Or, and I was thinking about how to do more. I wanted to be myself, but always better." So, she began this new adventure—the kind that players made of a different metal, like Alexia Putellas, make unique. Within her, there was still the talent, a faith like never before, and that sense of grandeur; and at the same time, the signs of future months moving at a frantic pace.

"At first," she recounts, "I was told: 'Get ready for a few hectic weeks.' Especially in the media. The Ballon d'Or indeed created a massive general expectation around me. It’s much stronger now, but I thought it would be fleeting. It’s lasting… I was warned. I have to say, I asked for it!" She can’t count the interviews, ceremonies, photoshoots, or trips. She even had personalized figurines made of her, including one representing her on a throne and another on a toilet. "Everything hasn't always been easy to manage," she admits. "But it’s for a good cause. I’m getting enough sleep, don’t worry (laughs). I don’t consider myself a star, but I’ve experienced things that, without the Ballon d'Or, I never would have. I’ve learned a lot about myself, more than ever. It has made me a better person."

Xavi: "She understands the game better than anyone"

The season was thus walked on a tightrope, and it seems she managed that, too. Because there was all of that, and still the matches; all of that, and yet, the same results. Alexia Putellas didn't win a second Ballon d'Or solely on the momentum of the previous one. This Holy Grail, which only yields to those who perform wonders, primarily rewards her most recent conquests: the Liga with 18 goals and 15 assists, the Spanish Supercup, and the Copa de la Reina, where she finished as top scorer—just as she did in the Champions League, only defeated in the final by Olympique Lyonnais in Turin (1-3). "I’m happy that people haven't forgotten everything I did before the Euro," explains the Blaugrana captain.

The football world has not forgotten, no. Xavi, her idol, says of her that she "understands the game better than anyone," and legends like Nadine Kessler wonder what superlative could possibly surpass the previous one. "But there is no coincidence," she notes, when questioned on the essence of her performances. "I work, and there is something important about me: I don't like wasting my time. I hate that feeling of having wasted a training session or a day. I love the drive, permanent evolution, learning, and I hate stagnating. I pay attention to the little things, too, that could allow me to do more. In fact, I love the path that leads me somewhere, to build my career. I love all of that."

Laporta’s Madeleines and the Drums of the Clasico

There is an inner flame, she admits, one that has guided her since childhood. "I’m following my path, that’s all," the double-winner sums up beautifully in the Mollet del Vallès living room. "It’s more like a struggle," continues Elisabet, her mother, between two slices of pan con tomate. A struggle for her and her own, and for her father too, who passed away early and to whom she dedicated her first Ballon d'Or. "My family is my foundation, I need them," explains Alexia Putellas, who strives to keep the family circle as private as possible. "There is an entire private world that we will never break, for our own good," Elisabet adds.

Walking with her mother through this small town on the outskirts of Barcelona is an opportunity to summon memories, especially those of young Alexia. Here is a typical, warm little square that for a long time brought joy to a young left-footer glued to her ball. "Everyone wanted her on their team!" Her mother moves closer to the present to recount the ton of anecdotes that fueled the past season. We hear about sharing madeleines on a plane with Joan Laporta, the president of Barça; the crown fashioned by Nike for "The Queen"; and the heartfelt tributes from Kylian Mbappé or Robert Lewandowski to her daughter.

"People ask for photos with my relatives, and even sometimes with my dog," Alexia laughs. "It’s a bit weird sometimes. But if it makes a little girl happy… all the better!" In Mollet, blood donations were never higher than when she put a jersey up as a prize; at school, a little girl shows up every Monday proudly wearing "Alexia" on her back; mixed teams are growing; girls' registrations in local football clubs have surged; at the nursery for 2-3 year olds where her younger sister Alba works, the arrival of the famous trophy nearly caused a riot. "Madness," confides Alba, who had to lock her Instagram account during the year.

"It’s very euphoric sometimes," Alexia responds, "but I see people happy. That doubles my happiness. People identify with my success and my story. Here and elsewhere. I love sharing all that." Especially when it comes to making history, like one spring evening for the first major match of the Barça women's section at Camp Nou. There were 90,000 people, the arena full of joy, to witness the Clasico against Real Madrid (5-2). "One of the most powerful things I’ve ever known," says Alexia. "There was an extraordinary excitement. It’s an iconic match on an iconic stage." It was a match for the greats, and she was the greatest—scoring and rallying the crowd in front of entire families, from grandmothers to grandsons, all sporting the number 11 and shouting glory to the club's own child. "At the end, when I saw her take the supporters' drum, she stunned me—she who never wants the spotlight," Elisabet laughs. "She always manages to surprise me. She was happy, in her element."

"I am not afraid of becoming someone else"

"That match—there will be a before and an after," Putellas concedes, never losing her sense of responsibility. Here is another point: by winning the Ballon d'Or, the Catalan hasn't just reached a new level of fame; she has become the one behind whom women's football marches. She doesn't prepare speeches, but she is "aware of all that. It’s moving in the right direction. I don't claim to be an ambassador, but I know where I stand, and I must serve the football of tomorrow. That match at Camp Nou, for example, was a huge step forward. We are changing the rules of the game."

Her Instagram followers multiplied tenfold in one year—now standing at two million—her voice carries weight, and her stances make headlines. "If I have something to say, I’m not going to hold back," she replies, as when a majority of the Spanish women's national team demanded more respect. Despite her injury, she joined the debates and the conflict pitting her teammates against the Federation. "Respect is a debate that touches many national teams," explains the player with 100 caps. "There was the U.S., Australia, Colombia… it’s a daily theme, unfortunately. It needs to be resolved quickly."

In the center of Barcelona, a local artist painted a mural in honor of "Super Alexia." To hear Alexia tell it, there is nothing more basic about what she does: "I live it with a lot of normalcy. It’s just me." She lives with her time, often ahead of it, and "every year is a major step forward," she rejoices. She forbids her mother from using the term "women's football," because "it’s just football," explains the mother, who is also happy to see her daughter learning English.

In their words, there is no fear of losing themselves in this immensity. There is, of course, the ocean of glory and the duties Alexia imposes on herself, but there will always be the foundations. "Meals with my friends here, this apartment..." The double Ballon d'Or winner knows that some perceptions have changed. "If some people think I’ve changed, so be it," she says. "I have no control over that, and I know deep down that everything is fine. I am still the same. I am not afraid of becoming someone else. I have the same intentions I had when I was younger."

Only an ACL injury came to thwart her plans. "I have never been injured in my life, and this is the worst one," Alexia says, her hand resting on her left knee, hiding the scars from the operation. "I confess: I was happy to the depths of my soul. How could it be otherwise? I wake up every morning to do what I love most in the world. And then, boom… I touched the Grail and I hit rock bottom." She doesn't dwell on the tears, but those close to her betray the truth: the period was devastating. "It took me time to accept reality," she says softly. Touching a ball again convinced her that everything would return to normal during 2023, with so many other challenges.

Her confidence has not left her, and with her eyes fixed on the Ballon d'Or, other perspectives open up. "Winning one is already a very special club. Now, we’re at two." Only ten men have won it at least twice. "I’m part of that team. We could play a match. I have to confess that after the first one, I looked at the multiple winners. I immediately wanted to be part of them. The name that struck me most was Johan Cruyff. He has three, right? I want to go and put my name alongside his. An even bigger challenge. One more in my life."

The only thing that makes her flinch is the status of "best player in history" that some already bestow upon her. "I have too much respect for the players who came before me." At the school in Mollet, there is no need to convince anyone that it’s already happening. In every classroom, after renaming the gymnasium in her honor, they installed photos of Alexia. "Like for the king," they smile. The children have decided: "She is the Queen."