Alexia Putellas has had a difficult six months. Final failure in the Champions League, cruciate ligament rupture one day before the start of the European Championship, the long fight back. Nevertheless, she wins the title of FIFA world footballer - and prevails against European champion Beth Mead, who shares her fate with injuries.
Before the 2022 European Football Championship she was the tragic figure, now she is the radiant winner. FC Barcelona's Alexia Putellas has defended her title as FIFA World Player of the Year. Like the Ballon d'Or before, almost a double double winner. She was honored in Paris at the election of the World Football Association and was able to prevail over Beth Mead from England and Alex Morgan from the USA. A choice that surprises at first sight.
Because the 29-year-old has not played football since July 5, 2022. It was the day before the start of the European Championships in England when the Spanish team had to announce: Putellas, the star player in this top team, was injured, probably torn cruciate ligaments. The woman who was supposed to shape Spain's game, but then had to watch how the co-favorites failed in the quarter-finals (1:2 aet) against the eventual European champions from England - with Beth Mead.
Mead, on the other hand, played an outstanding EURO at home, was top scorer with six goals and five assists and was named player of the tournament. The Arsenal striker was now the only one of her national team who could not assert herself in her category. Manchester United's Mary Earps won the title of world goalkeeper, her Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman, who has coached the Lionesses since 2021, was named world coach.
Incidentally, Mead, which unites the two, also tore his cruciate ligament on November 20th. While Putellas has been training with the ball again since the beginning of February, the Englishwoman, who is two years her junior, still has to be patient. The third in the group, Alex Morgan, was largely unhurt. The 33-year-old was named the best player at the Central and North American championship, she was top scorer and scored the decisive 1-0 in the final against the Olympic champions from Canada. She also broke a notable mark with 201 games for the USA. She also scored 16 goals in 19 games in the US NWSL, which her club San Diego Wave finished third in.
A fact that also carries weight. Because the FIFA election is not an award purely at national team level. And while it would seem logical that the voting period is a calendar year, it is not. The time periods differ even for women and men. Lionel Messi probably prevailed mainly because he won the last title still open in his career by winning the World Cup. The period for this vote was from August 8, 2021 to December 18, 2022. For women, on the other hand, the voting period was limited to August 7, 2021 to July 31, 2022.
So the EM was still included - but also the entire previous season. And this was one that putellas designed exceptionally. The midfielder captained Barça to their domestic treble, contributing 18 goals and 15 assists in the league. In the Champions League, the "Queen of Barcelona" shone with eleven goals in ten games, including two in the semifinals against VfL Wolfsburg. However, her team lost 3-1 to eight-time champions Olympique Lyon in the final, with Putellas scoring the consolation goal.
Although the Champions League ended disappointingly for the Spaniard, it was a competition in which she clearly edged Mead. Because their FC Arsenal was eliminated in the quarter-finals against VfL Wolfsburg. Like Putellas, Mead also shone in the league, scoring 14 and scoring 19 for Arsenal. Until her cruciate ligament rupture, she started the current season brilliantly: three goals and four assists in seven games. A comparison of the leagues is difficult, both have developed extremely and professionalized in recent years. However, the dominance of FC Barcelona in the Primera División Femenina is more than clear. The Catalans won last season with a 24-point lead and the maximum possible haul of 90 points in 30 wins from 30 games. Also in the current season there are only victories, the goal difference is 84:4.
The Women's Super League, on the other hand, is much more balanced. Mead's Arsenal FC lost by a point to Chelsea FC's doubles winners last season. Things are tight again this season, with Manchester United in first place and Arsenal in fourth just six points separating them.
So it was a choice between the Spanish high-flyer, who scores a lot of goals from midfield but hardly has to fear competition in the league with FC Barcelona, and Mead and Morgan, who have to fight much harder fights in their leagues and also score many goals could shine. In addition - unlike Putellas - they were victorious at the continental championships with their nations and then also in the individual evaluations. Titles that usually carry a lot of weight in the rating. The wave of euphoria with which the English women surfed to the European Championship title in their own country and the pressure that Mead withstood would have justified why she would also have been a suitable prizewinner. The Englishwoman would then have overtaken Putellas at the last minute. The European Championship final at Wembley Stadium against Germany (2-1) took place on July 31, 2022, the last day of the voting period.
The choice in favor of Putellas was ultimately clear, however, it combined 50 points from the captains, coaches and journalists. Morgan and Mead each had 37 points. Germany captain Alexandra Popp had put Putellas third on her list, behind her team-mate Aitana Bonmati and French defensive icon Wendie Renard. National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg gave priority to choosing her players, saw Lena Oberdorf at the top, followed by Popp and third, the English European champion Leah Williamson. "Kicker" editor Gunnar Meggers was allowed to vote as a representative of the German journalists; Mead was preferred to him. He had chosen Putellas as third, followed by Popp.
In the end, both Popp and Oberdorf could not assert themselves at the very front, Popp was seventh, Oberdorf eleventh of the election. Both had also been successful at the European Championships, Oberdorf had been honored as the best young player and at least made it into the FIFA team in the election.
