Alexia Putellas — the World’s Best Female Footballer

What makes a player so valuable to the whole system?

A goal is easy to see. It is harder to recognise how a player repeatedly creates new options for her teammates.

The following analysis looks at Alexia Putellas and Barcelona’s successful period in 2021. It focuses on carrying the ball, gaining space, decision-making and work after losing possession. A closer look reveals individual quality and the interaction between an exceptional player and her team’s structure.

The year 2021 was exceptionally successful for the then 27-year-old Alexia Putellas. The midfielder scored 18 goals in 31 league matches and played a central role in FC Barcelona’s record-breaking Primera División season.

Putellas also shone in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final, the most prestigious match in European club football. She scored a goal and provided an assist in the historic 4–0 victory over Chelsea FC—the largest winning margin ever recorded in a UEFA Women’s Champions League final.

Alexia is frequently involved in decisive phases of play, and her teammates actively look for her. Whether she is dribbling diagonally toward the defense or shielding the ball with an opponent at her back, she almost always makes the right decision and forces defenders into mistakes. Her precise ball control and exceptional awareness give her a clear advantage in such situations. Organized attacks rarely pose a problem: with sudden, precise dribbles against the flow of the defense, she regularly creates scoring opportunities for herself or her teammates.

Thanks to her outstanding understanding of the game, her team usually maintains excellent spacing—not only to create a constant goal threat but also to counter-press effectively immediately after losing possession. This is supported by the disciplined forward movement of the deeper lines. Alexia’s exceptional athleticism allows her both to seek out duels in pressing situations and to initiate high pressing from the front, often while covering considerable distances.

Alexia is more than a key player within the system. Through her role and qualities, she makes coach Jonatan Giráldez’s tactically sophisticated approach possible; her occasional bursts of unconventional magic also add another dimension to the team.

Here you can admire Alexia’s footballing skills.