ALEXIA PUTELLAS is widely regarded as one of the best female footballers in the world.
The sports star will represent Spain at the final of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup when her team take on Sarina Wiegman‘s Lionesses.
Who is Alexia Putellas?
Alexia Putella is a Spanish and Catalan professional football player.
She was born on February 4, 1994 in Mollet del Vallès, Barcelona.
Putellas played basketball as a child but became interested in football when she started school and joined a club when she was seven years old.
She played for Sabadell from 2001 until 2005, moving to Barcelona girls’ youth team for a year afterwards.
From 2006 until 2011 she was a part of the Espanyol girls’ team before moving to Valencian club Levante.
In 2012 she joined Barcelona‘s senior team and has remained with the squad ever since.
Sadly, Putella’s father Jaume Putellas Rota passed away shortly before she joined Barcelona.
With the La Liga side Putellas has won seven league titles, seven Copas de la Reina, and two UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies.
In 2021 the star won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year Award, the Ballon d’Or Féminin, and The Best FIFA Women’s Player, becoming the first player to win all three in the same year.
She achieved this feat once again in 2022.
Nike-sponsored Putellas has gained the nickname “La Reina”, meaning the Queen, from fans.
She has been awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi, one of the highest civilian orders in Catalonia, making her one of only three footballers to receive the honour.
Lionel Messi and Johan Cruyff are the other players to achieve this.
When did Alexia Putellas join the Spanish national team?
Putellas has played for the Spanish national team since she was a teen.
She began playing for Spain‘s youth national team at 15 and earned her first cap for the senior team in 2003, when she was 19 years old.
Putellas has represented her country at the 2013 European Championship finals, the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2017 UEFA Women’s Euros and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In 2022 she became the first player to reach 100 caps with Spain’s national women’s team.
Putellas was one of fifteen Spanish players who wrote letters to Spain’s football federation in September 2022, threatening to quit if manager Jorge Vilda was not fired.
Despite the revolt against Vilda, she was called up by the coach for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
What is Alexia Putellas’ salary?
Putellas reportedly earns around £300,000 annually.
She has an estimated net worth of almost £1.2million.
Putellas has amassed this fortune through her career as a player and as her sponsorship and brand deals.
As well as her deal with Nike, the player has been a brand ambassador for big names like Oakley, Spotify and Mango.