The extraordinary season of Alexia Putellas that the Eurocup failed to value

No one doubted that Alexia Putellas carried Spain on her back for a good part of the Euro Cup , but the end was bitter for the player, and not only because of the defeat in the final against England that deprived the team of its first major European title and a generation of players of completing an enviable list of achievements. Alexia shone in Switzerland , her football flowing to delight the spectators who idolized her in the stands and herself on the pitch. "I analyze myself now, this season, and I think I make better decisions for each action. I play what is appropriate at all times and I think I am making decisions much better," she acknowledged in an interview with El Mundo on the eve of the quarterfinals of the tournament.

The numbers backed up those feelings until the very end. Alexia finished the Euros as the second-highest scorer, with three goals, behind Esther González's four. She also provided the most assists, providing four goals for her teammates. This effectiveness made her the only player in the history of the competition to score two goals and provide two assists in the same match.

That's what resulted in a goal, but the Catalan also finished the tournament with the most chances created in a single edition: 19. Alexia was the player involved in the most goals at the European Championship, 40% of those scored by Spain. She finished the group stage with two player of the match honors, and her path to a third Ballon d'Or was clear.

When the clashes began, all opponents understood the need to pressure Alexia to smother Spain. That's why she finished the Euros as the player who received the most pressure from her opponents (307) and, despite that, the one with the most accurate passing under pressure (87%).

These numbers weren't enough to prevent Montse Tomé from sending her to the bench in the 71st minute of the final , just when Spain needed to push England again to avoid being forced to play for the title in extra time and penalties, as they did. Alexia is always one of the designated spot-kicks, but she wasn't on the pitch when the shootout took place.

Adding to the disappointment of the defeat was the low rating given to her performances when it came to choosing the tournament's best player. Alexia also had two MVPs, but the UEFA technical observer group , made up of coaches Britta Carlson, Lluís Cortés, Irene Fuhrmann, Jayne Ludlow, Ioan Lupescu, Tanya Oxtoby, Anna Signeul and Martin Sjögren, did not choose the best of the champions, instead opting to award the award to Aitana , who was sidelined by meningitis for much of the first phase.

This decision put a bittersweet spin on a season in which Alexia has scored in every competition she's played with Barça and Spain. In total, she has 28 goals and 21 assists . Her numbers with Barça have made her the third-highest scorer in the club's history with 212 goals, behind only Messi and César .