Alexia Putellas has won the 2021 Best Fifa Women’s Player award to complete a double of major individual honours following her victory at the Ballon d’Or last month.
The Barcelona captain saw off competition from teammate Jennifer Hermoso and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr to win the award at a ceremony in Zurich on Monday night.
She becomes the first Spanish player to win the award after playing a key role in Barcelona’s dominant treble-winning campaign, which saw the club lift the Women’s Champions League as well as the Primera División and Copa de la Reina.
“I’m very happy, I’m thrilled,” Putellas said. “I would like to thank my teammates and congratulate them because this award is for all of us. This award will make us play with the same motivation for the year ahead and I hope we can have great success again this season.”
Lyon and Chile’s Christiane Endler won the Best Fifa Women’s Goalkeeper award, becoming the first South American goalkeeper to do so, after beating Chelsea and Germany’s Ann-Katrin Berger and Paris Saint-Germain and Canada’s Stephanie Lynn Marie Labbé.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes won the Best Fifa women’s coach award - ahead of England manager Sarina Wiegman and former Barcelona coach Lluís Cortés.
In the women’s FifPro World XI, there was a shock as no Barcelona players, including Putellas, were included in the team of the year.
The line-up was completed by goalkeeper Endle, Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Magdalena Eriksson, Wendie Renard, Estefania Banini, Barbara Bonansea, Carli Lloyd, Marta, Vivianne Miedema and Alex Morgan.
Robert Lewandowski won the men’s prize for the second consecutive year, Erik Lamela won the Puskas Award for goal of the year after his spectacular rabona goal against Arsenal in the Premier League last season, while Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Messi in the FifPro World XI for the 15th consectutive year, also received a special prize for becoming the top goalscorer in men’s internationals.
