Ballon d’Or 2022 was a historic event in the soccer community as the little magician Lionel Messi failed to be nominated for the men’s award. Furthermore, with changes in the judging system from considering a full calendar year to a full season, the panel has been reduced from 170 to 100 for the men, while 50 judges were available to choose the best female soccer player, making the event more interesting.

After the departure of Messi, Barcelona’s legacy in Ballon d’Or remained untouched as Barcelona’s women’s soccer team captain Alexia Putellas was named the Ballon d’Or best female soccer player in 2022.

Back-to-back Women's Ballon d'Or, Alexia Putellas !#ballondor pic.twitter.com/UygJYBwyS9

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@ballondor) October 17, 2022

Barça president @JoanLaportaFCB with the Club's winners at the 2022 #BallonDor Gala 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ymAivi1Ikd

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 17, 2022

This is the second time the current women’s Spanish national soccer team captain has been awarded the trophy, which is largely the reward for last season’s Barcelona’s unbeaten journey in which she contributed 18 goals while winning La Liga, Spanish Cup, and Super Cup but losing the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Lyon with Barcelona.

In her trophy acceptance speech, Putellas thanked her coaches and teammates and stated that last year’s Ballon d’Or kept her motivated to perform better this season.

“I’m very happy to be back here. Winning last year pushed me to want to be even better. Without my teammates, this wouldn’t have been possible. I want to thank the coaches and technical staff who help me to improve every day.”

The speech of Alexia Putellas, the back-to-back Women's Ballon d'Or winner 💬#ballondor pic.twitter.com/o11kze5yoZ

— Ballon d'Or #ballondor (@ballondor) October 17, 2022

Not only Putallas but also Gavi retained Barca’s legacy by winning the Kopa award for best men’s soccer player under 21, which was last year grabbed by Pedri of Barcelona. This year’s Men’s Ballon d’Or was awarded to the Real Madrid striker Karim Mustafa Benzema, while Thibaut Courtois was named the Yashin trophy as the current best goalkeeper and Manchester City claimed the best soccer club trophy.