With the 2023 Women's World Cup coming to entertain fans around the globe, the conversation around the best player in the world will surely crop up in pubs and living rooms across the world.
The top nations in the competition are loaded with players who will think of themselves as the best in the global game.
Host nation Australia will claim one of their own, 2022 Ballon d'Or finalist Sam Kerr, as a contender, while the visibility and goal scoring talent of Alex Morgan has many championing the American superstar. England boast the services of Beth Mead who was sensational in the European championships a year ago, while Amadine Henry of France and Alexandra Popp of Germany are also visible players who were spectacular at the Euros.
Other less powerful nations still have players who are in the conversation, like Denmark's Pernille Harder, Viviene Miedema of the Netherlands, or Ada Hegerberg of Norway.
Yet it's Alexia Putellas of Spain who has the strongest claim to the throne, even ahead of her exceptional international teammates Jennifer Hermoso and Aitana Bonmati.
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Why Alexia Putellas is best women's soccer player in world
The 29-year-old may only have just returned from her ACL tear – coming on as a substitute in Spain's opening 3-0 win over Costa Rica – but there's no doubt that when Alexia Putellas is on the field, she's the best in the world.
A two-time Ballon d'Or recipient, Putellas has won two Champions League titles and seven La Liga crowns as the unquestioned leader of a loaded Barcelona squad. Now, she turns to the international stage where she hopes to lead a talented Spain side to similar glory.
Spain were a shell of themselves at the Euros after Putellas was lost due to injury, underlining her importance to an already world-class roster. If Putellas can conjure up her pre-injury form, Spain are unquestionably World Cup contenders.
Seeing Alexia Putellas back at the Women's World Cup 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZEscbTDckm
— GOAL (@goal) July 21, 2023
Putellas wins second straight Ballon d'Or while injured
The 29-year-old played just half the season in 2022, and yet she was still decorated as the best player in the world by France Football, becoming the only player to win the Ballon d'Or Feminin twice.
That alone should be justification enough to recognize her as the world's undisputed top player, having racked up an incredible 16 goals and six assists for club and country through the 2021/22 campaign prior to her injury. She helped lead Barcelona to the Champions League final as well as the La Liga Femini championship by an incredible 24 points.
So even with Putellas sidelined for the second half of the calendar year, the voters had seen enough. Beth Mead and Sam Kerr, both deserving finalists, were not able to put up the contest to dethrone the reigning winner.
The previous year, Putellas had won the crown with a massive margin, as her 186 award points were vastly above second-place finisher, her club and country teammate Jennifer Hermoso, who had 84.
MORE: Spain's first half blitz sees them power past Costa Rica in World Cup
Loaded Spain prove beatable at Euros without Putellas
Spain, who will have considered themselves a title contender coming into the Women's Euro 2022 tournament, faced both eventual finalists England and Germany at various stages, and fell to defeat both times. A huge reason why was the absence of Alexia Putellas, who was injured in the lead-up to the tournament, and missed the entire competition.
They looked a shell of their former selves without Putellas, even with stars like Aitana Bonmati and Leila Ouahabi on the roster, amongst many other top players at big clubs around Europe.
Jennifer Hermoso was injured as well, but it was Putellas's absence that was felt most heavily. They scored four goals in the opener against Finland, but bagged just two goals in three matches after that, including zero against Germany and one against England.
No more complete attacking midfielder in the world
Alexia Putellas, quite simply, is the best attacking midfielder in women's football. She is the Kevin de Bruyne of Barcelona Feimeni.
Her football profile is absolutely off the charts. In the 2021/22 Champions League, Putellas collected 12.52 progressive passes per 90 minutes, good for the highest in the competition for a midfielder. She is also a brilliant dribbler, as her 2.36 successful take-ons per 90 minutes were in the 92nd percentile of midfielders, and she also receives progressive passes up high as well.
Combine that all together, and she her shot-creating actions were No. 1 amongst midfielders at 7.90 per 90 minutes, allowing her to collect an xG+xA of 0.77/90 mins, just a fraction off the competition's highest mark set by her Barcelona teammate Jennifer Hermoso.
