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Alexia Putellas Aitana Bonmati Barcelona Bayern Munich composite

Putellas stars & Bonmati returns as Barca reach UWCL final

Barcelona will face Lyon in the Women's Champions League final after beating Bayern Munich 4-2 on Sunday, for a 5-3 win on aggregate in the semi-finals. The German champions gave the three-time winners a tough match last week but the Catalans asserted their authority at Camp Nou, as goals from Salma Paralluelo, Ewa Pajor and an Alexia Putellas brace set up a fourth UWCL final between Barca and Lyon.

Women's Champions LeagueBarcelona
Ballon d'Or Feminin Power Rankings GFX

Ballon d'Or Feminin: Who will end Bonmati's dominance?

Aitana Bonmati has won each of the last three Ballons d'Or Feminin - but the accolade will go to someone else in 2026. Will it be two-time winner and fellow Barcelona star Alexia Putellas who reasserts herself as the best player in the women's game? Or could there be a new name on the honour roll when the Golden Ball is handed out in Paris in October?

Power rankingsWomen's football
Alexia Putellas Ona Batlle Barcelona Women split

Barca's Batlle nears Arsenal move as Putellas attracts WSL interest

Barcelona are reportedly 'close' to losing star defender Ona Batlle to Arsenal on a free transfer, with speculation surrounding the futures of two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas and key centre-back Mapi Leon also growing as the pair near the ends of their current contracts in Catalunya. London City Lionesses have shown interest in both, as the newly-promoted Women's Super League side look to make a splash in the summer transfer window.

BarcelonaArsenal Women
Mariona Caldentey Aitana Bonmati Alessia Russo split

Ballon d'Or Feminin: Official 30-player rankings revealed

The Ballon d'Or. Love it or loathe it, it's the award every footballer in the world dreams of one day winning. And now, after a memorable 2024-25 campaign, the winner of the 2025 Women's Golden Ball has been announced: Aitana Bonmati. The Barcelona star was exceptional for her club this past year, her world-class consistency standing out as the Catalans won a domestic treble, while her performances for Spain were enough to make her the Euro 2025 Player of the Tournament.

A. BonmatiM. Caldentey

Frequently asked questions

Lionel Messi is a versatile attacker who has featured both through the middle and in a free role from the right, allowing him to cut inside on to his stronger left foot.

Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, Santa Fe, in Argentina on June 24, 1987.

The Argentine maestro wears the number he has been known to don for the majority of his career, the No. 10, at MLS outfit Inter Miami.

Lionel Messi is often among the shortest players on a football pitch, standing at just 1.70m (5ft 7in). However, it is due to his low center of gravity which has made him one of the most fearsome forces to be reckoned with in football history.

Lionel Messi weighs 67kg (148 lbs), his low weight aiding him in gaining high bursts of acceleration and gliding past defenders as if they were never there.

Lionel Messi began his journey in football with local club Grandoli at the age of four, in 1992, before joining the team he loved the most, Newell's Old Boys, at the age of six. He stayed with the Argentine club until 2000, when he made the switch to Barcelona.

Lionel Messi and his wife Antonella Roccuzzo have three sons: Mateo, Thiago, and Ciro.

Lionel Messi is married to Argentine model and media personality Antonella Roccuzzo. The couple exchanged vows back in 2017.

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