Alexia Putellas took the top spot on The Guardian’s 100 Best Footballers list for the second year in a row.

The 28-year-old Spanish star becomes the first player to top the list in consecutive years after finishing the 2021-22 domestic season with 18 goals and 15 assists.

Also for the second year in a row, no American player cracked the top 15 in the list. For 2022, the highest U.S. player is Catarina Macario, who comes in at No. 16. In 2021, Sam Mewis was the highest finisher at No. 20, but she has dropped off the list due to injury.

Macario leapt 71 spots from No. 87 in 2021. The 23-year-old scored 14 goals for Lyon en route to the Division 1 Féminine title, and she also scored nine goals en route to the Champions League title. Only an ACL injury she suffered in June kept her from a spot in the top 10, The Guardian noted.

NWSL MVP Sophia Smith entered for the first time at No. 21, making her the highest debut on this year’s list. Three judges had even put the Portland Thorns forward at No. 1 in the world.

Also from the U.S. women’s national team, Alex Morgan returned to the rankings at No. 18 after missing the list in 2021. In total, 10 USWNT players made the list. Lindsey Horan came in at No. 29, Rose Lavelle at No. 33, Mallory Pugh at No. 36, Trinity Rodman at No. 47, Naomi Girma at No. 66, Megan Rapinoe at No. 70 and Becky Sauerbrunn at No. 93.

One other American player made the cut, though she has not broken into the USWNT lineup: Mia Fishel placed at No. 88. The 21-year-old won the Liga MX Golden Boot with 17 goals in 2022, and USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski said she “is on our depth chart.”

Beth Mead came in second. She rocketed up from the 75th best player in the world in 2021 after she helped lead England to the Euros title this summer.

Australia’s Sam Kerr held strong at No. 3, while Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí jumped six spots to No. 4. Lena Oberdorf moved from No. 44 all the way up to No. 5, but Vivianne Miedema fell four spots to No. 6.

England stars Georgia Stanway (No. 26), Alessia Russo (No. 39) and Mary Earps (No. 48) all entered the rankings for the first time.

Spanish star Alexia Putellas continues her reign as the world’s consensus No. 1 women’s soccer player, taking home the Ballon d’Or for the second consecutive year.

While the midfielder missed out on the Euros after injuring her ACL days before the start of the July tournament, she made the most of the first half of the year with FC Barcelona. She is expected to miss the entire 2022-23 season while recovering from the injury.

“I’m very happy to be back here,” Putellas said in her native Spanish. “I’m pleased. A year ago, I was able to win, and it pushed me to want to be better. Without my teammates this wouldn’t have been possible. I want to thank the team, the staff and the coach as well, and everyone involved with the club.”

Putellas had 18 goals and a league-high 15 assists for Barcelona as she led the team to its third-straight Primera División title.

The 28-year-old helped lead Barcelona to a perfect season, winning all 30 of their games.

She has played for the club since 2012, making 271 appearances and scoring 117 goals. Putellas has appeared in the second most matches in club history, behind Melanie Serrano, and is also second on the club’s all-time scoring list, behind Jennifer Hermoso.

In August, she became the first player to win back-to-back UEFA Women’s Player of the Year awards. She also soared to No. 1 in the FIFA 23 ratings after failing to crack the top 10 in the previous two versions of the game.

England’s Beth Mead finished second among the 20 nominees for the Ballon d’Or, followed by Australia’s Sam Kerr and Germany’s Lena Oberdorf.

As for the three American nominees, Catarina Macario placed ninth, Alex Morgan came in 13th and Trinity Rodman finished 18th.

Rodman was the youngest player on the nomination list, at 20 years old.

This is the fourth year of the award, as Norway’s Ada Hegerberg won the inaugural award in 2018, followed by Megan Rapinoe in 2019. The award was not given in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Players on Spain’s national team are speaking out after the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF) said 15 players resigned from the team over a coaching dispute.

The federation said 15 players resigned in refusal to play under coach Jorge Vilda, but the players took issue with that characterization.

“The RFEF can confirm that, throughout today, we received 15 emails from 15 players of the women’s senior soccer team… in which they state that the current situation affects ‘significantly’ their emotional state and their health and that, ‘as long as it is not reversed,’ they resign from the Spanish national team,” the Spanish federation said in a statement.

Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas joined other Spanish national team players in responding to the RFEF’s account.

“We have never asked for the dismissal of the coach as has been commented,” the statement read in Spanish. “We understand that our work is not in any case to choose said position, but to express constructively and honestly what we consider can improve the performance of the group.”

The players did not resign, they said in their statement, and indeed “maintain an unquestionable commitment” to the national team. Rather, they asked “not to be summoned” until concerns regarding their physical and emotional well-being were addressed.

The players’ response also makes clear that they wished the correspondence with the federation to remain private, but RFEF went public with the dispute Thursday.

“We regret that in the context of women’s sport we have to go to the extreme, as unfortunately has happened in other national teams and other sports historically worldwide, in order to advance in a powerful and ambitious professional project for the present and for future generations,” the players’ statement concluded.

The move comes after a disappointing quarterfinal Euros run for Spain and just months ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

The U.S. women’s national team is set to travel to Spain for an Oct. 11 friendly as a part of the squad’s European swing.

Sarina Wiegman was named the UEFA Coach of the Year on Thursday after helping lead England to its first Euros title, while Spain’s Alexia Putellas is the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

Since taking over the England post, Wiegman has been on a tear. The team has yet to lose a match during her tenure and players like Beth Mead have thrived. Mead won the Euros Golden Boot, which goes to the tournament’s highest scorer, and finished as one of the top two runners-up to Putellas for the Player of the Year.

This year brought the first Coach of the Year award for Wiegman but her second Euros title. She also won in 2017 as manager for the Netherlands.

“It’s really nice to receive this very great award and I’m very honored,” Wiegman said. “This award really is for everyone involved with the England team. The FA, the staff and of course, all the players. Since I started in September, things have gone really well. We’ve really enjoyed it and we’ve performed at the highest level. Our fans have been very great too, so thank you.”

Putellas becomes the first women’s player to win the award in back-to-back years.

A star for Barcelona, she played in 26 matches in the Primera División in 2021-22, scoring 18 goals and adding 15 assists. In the Champions League, she notched two goals through nine matches.

The midfielder is also up for the Ballon d’Or after winning it last year.

Alexia Putellas could not join Spain on the pitch for the team’s UEFA Women’s Euro opener after tearing her ACL days before the start of the tournament.

The Ballon d’Or winner, however, made her presence known, cheering on her teammates from the sidelines.

After falling behind Finland early due to an excellent first-minute finish from Linda Sällström, Spain rallied, much to Putellas’ delight.

Putellas was brought to her feet after Irene Paredes pulled Spain level in the 26th minute behind a well-executed header.

Aitana Bonmati added to Spain’s lead just before the break with another sublime header. After her go-ahead goal, the 24-year-old ran to captain Putellas to celebrate.

Spain rode their escalating momentum into the second half, notching two more goals to put Finland away 4-1.

The two teams played in front of a crowd of 16,819 in Milton Keynes, a tournament record for a non-host group stage matchup.

Spain will play Germany on Tuesday in the team’s second contest of group play.

Spain will be without one of its star players for the UEFA Women’s European Championship after Alexia Putellas tore the ACL in her left knee.

The Spanish team announced the injury Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the team revealed that Putellas had sustained a knee sprain during a training session, but the extent of the injury was not known.

Putellas is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, and recently was named the best player in the world by ESPN. The midfielder also has the most caps on the Spanish team, having made 100 international appearances and notching 27 goals.

Jennifer Hermoso, who is the top goalscorer in Spanish national team history with 45, ranked eighth on ESPN’s list. The team will be without Hermoso as well, however, as she was ruled out of the tournament in June with a knee injury.

The reigning Ballon d’Or Féminin winner, Putellas was also named the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2021. During the most recent Champions League season, Putellas finished as the top scorer with 11 goals. She also was named the Best FIFA Women’s Player.

The Spanish women’s national team is coming off of a 1-1 draw in a friendly with Italy last Friday, in which Putellas was the lone goal scorer for Spain. Spain is scheduled to begin its group stage campaign at the Euros against Finland on Friday.

ESPN released its list of the top 50 players in women’s soccer Monday, with Barcelona star Alexia Putellas topping the annual ranking.

Twenty-six soccer minds, including USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski and former USWNT captain Julie Foudy, were asked to weigh in on the best performances of the 2021-2022 season.

Putellas’ top spot comes as no surprise, with the 28-year-old also taking home this year’s Ballon d’Or and Best FIFA Women’s Player honors. Notching 18 goals in league competition and 11 in the Champions League, Putellas helped her club to a near-perfect season before Barça fell to Lyon in the Champions League final.

Barcelona, with Putellas’ help, changed the face of women’s soccer this year, twice breaking attendance records for the sport at Camp Nou.

Chelsea striker Sam Kerr slots in behind Putellas at No. 2 on the list in recognition of her Golden-Boot winning performance in the Women’s Super League. Rounding out the top of the rankings at No. 3 is Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema, who became the first player to be involved in 100 goals in the WSL.

Kerr and Miedema also finished in second and third last year, but they came behind Sam Mewis. The USWNT and Kansas City Current midfielder, who has been dealing with a nagging knee injury, sits at No. 37 this season.

The first USWNT player to appear on the 2022 list is Catarina Macario, who is ranked at No. 6 following a sensational campaign with Lyon. The NWSL is not represented on the list until No. 19, with OL Reign’s Rose Lavelle sneaking into the top 20 players.

Sam Mewis, Alex Morgan, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan and Debinha are the other NWSL athletes included on the list.

Barcelona and Real Madrid’s UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinal will be one for the history books, with the two clubs set to face off in front of a record crowd at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

The second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal is the third El Clásico women’s rivalry game in the last month, with Barcelona holding a 2-0 record over Real Madrid and a 3-1 aggregate lead in the Champions League battle.

Tickets for Wednesday’s marquee match sold out two months ahead of time. Barcelona’s women’s team has played at the historic Camp Nou stadium just once before. That 50th-anniversary game between Barcelona and Espanyol, honoring the first women’s game ever played at the venue, was held behind closed doors without fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This time, over 80,000 spectators will be in attendance. If that number holds, the match will break the record for the largest attendance at a women’s domestic club game. Barcelona currently holds the domestic club record, with 60,739 showing up to the team’s 2019 game against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas visited Camp Nou often as a child, but she never imagined herself playing in the stadium. The 28-year-old star is trying her best to keep a level head amid the excitement of the moment.

“I have been in Camp Nou so many times all my life. Tomorrow is me playing, but at the end of the day, it’s the same as Johan Cruyff field,” Putellas told reporters on Tuesday, referring to their usual home stadium that seats 6,000 spectators. “I think the time has come … we, the players, feel now empowered and ready to play in front of so many people, such a large audience.”

The game will also serve as a celebration of the growth of women’s soccer and a push for equity. The words “More than Empowerment” will appear on the Lateral terrace as a reminder of its significance.

“I believe that tomorrow can be the start of a new era, because at the end of the day, tomorrow’s match is going to be inspiring for so many girls, I am guessing, that will be coming tomorrow to Camp Nou or who will be seeing us from TV,” Putellas said. “They will be seeing women playing in Camp Nou, and I am sure in the future, in the mid or long run, we will be collecting the fruits of tomorrow’s match.”

The bubbling enthusiasm off the pitch will almost certainly be matched by the intensity on the pitch, with both sides eager to meet the moment.

“Of course, we are aware of the fact that players have a special feeling regarding tomorrow’s match, but when it comes to preparation and training, nothing has changed,” said Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez.

Barcelona, the reigning UEFA Champions League winners, are considered by many to be the most dominant club in women’s soccer. The team enters Wednesday’s second leg on a staggering 35-game win streak across all competitions. Barcelona clinched the league title for the third straight season with a 5-0 rout of Real Madrid on March 13, adding to their 25-0 Primera División record.

Putellas, the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner, leads Barcelona’s Champions League campaign with seven goals and two assists. Midfielder Jennifer Hermoso is next with four goals in five matches. Deploying a possession-minded playing style, Barcelona is one of the hardest clubs for opponents to break down.

That’s just what Real Madrid will try to do, however, in their Champions League duel. The feat, while a tall order, isn’t impossible. Real Madrid stunned Barcelona in the first leg of the quarterfinal last week when Olga Carmona put her side up 1-0 in the eighth minute, forcing the visitors to mount a second-half comeback behind a brace from Putellas.

“Of course, it’s very useful to start losing a match. We don’t like it, but it’s useful,” Giráldez siad of Barcelona’s come-from-behind win. “Mentally, we need to be ready to pull ourselves together, do things better, catch up.”

Expecting Madrid to come out pressing and attacking, Barcelona will look to maintain possession and dictate the game’s tempo from the opening whistle.

“We want more every time,” Barcelona midfielder Ingrid Syrstad Engen said. “In Barcelona, it’s not enough to win, it’s about how you play, and I think that’s in the roots of this team,”

Barcelona will advance to the Champions League semifinals if they can maintain or improve upon their 3-1 aggregate lead.

The historic game kicks off Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET, streaming for free in the United States on DAZN’s UEFA Women’s Champions League YouTube channel.

Clare Brennan is an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports.

Alexia Putellas has been named the best FIFA Women’s Player of 2021, beating out Spanish national team and Barcelona teammate Jenni Hermoso as well as Australia national teamer and Chelsea’s Sam Kerr.

Putellas ended the year with 43 goals, helping Barcelona win the league, the cup and the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the first time in club history.

“This belongs to everyone,” Putellas said upon receiving the award. “I hope we can continue with the same or even more motivations this year and we can be very successful again.”

It’s Putellas’ third individual award in the last six months. In August, she was named UEFA Women’s Player of the Year and in November won the Ballon d’Or.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was named the Best FIFA Women’s Coach after winning the domestic Treble and making the Champions League final.

Barcelona has had a record-breaking start to 2022, selling out Camp Nou for the upcoming Champions League quarterfinal game.

Alexia Putellas has been named the 2021 Ballon d’Or winner, awarded to the best female footballer. She is the first Spanish player to win the award since 1960.

The 27-year-old Barcelona captain had a banner year on the field. She helped the club capture their first Champions League crown with a 4-0 defeat of Chelsea in the final, rounding out a season that included winning the Primera Division and Copa de la Reina.

Putellas maintained her place among Europe’s best, finishing the 2020-21 season as the highest-scoring midfielder with 26 goals. She was also named UEFA’s Women’s Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year.

Putellas’ teammate, Jennifer Hermoso, finished second while Chelsea’s Sam Kerr came in third.

Vivianne Miedema, who was named the 2021 BBC Women’s Football of the Year, finished fourth.

Women’s Ballon D’Or Top Ten

1. Alexia Putellas (Barcelona/Spain, midfielder)
2. Jennifer Hermoso (Barcelona/Spain, forward)
3. Sam Kerr (Chelsea/ Australia, forward)
4. Vivianne Miedema (Arsenal/Netherlands, forward)
5. Lieke Martens (Barcelona/Netherlands, midfielder)
6. Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns/Canada, forward)
7. Pernille Harder (Chelsea/Denmark, midfielder)
8. Ashley Lawrence (Paris Saint-Germain/Canada, defender)
9. Jessie Fleming (Chelsea/Canada, midfielder)
10. Fran Kirby (Chelsea/England, forward)