Alexia Reigns in Balaídos

Of the seven goals Spain put past Portugal at Balaídos, two bore the unmistakable signature of Alexia Putellas. The fourth and sixth goals—both exquisite—sent the crowd into raptures as they enjoyed a spectacular performance from La Roja. "We love the way people welcome us wherever we go in Spain. It’s about what we give back, and that’s how you build support—by trying to give your best, helping people enjoy the game and, of course, by winning."

Alexia reflected on one of her goals immediately after the final whistle, making the difficult sound simple: "I saw my marker was going to block the first-time shot—which I often go for in the box—but she overcommitted, so I said to myself, I’ll take a touch, shift it to my right, make sure I don’t push it too far ahead, and just focus on hitting the back of the net."

The World Cup winner contributed two goals to the commanding scoreline, taking her tally to 34 goals in 129 international appearances. Fully aware of what was at stake, Alexia recognised that the team had met their target for matchdays 3 and 4 of the UEFA Women’s Nations League group stage: "We had to take six points from these two matches. When you play the same opponent back-to-back, it’s always tough. The first goal was to win—done. Then we had to come here, give our all in front of these fans, and make sure they had a good time too."

If there’s one thing that defines Alexia—beyond her dedication and work rate—it’s her total commitment to the badge, to the shirt, and to the national team she trusts wholeheartedly. After the match in Balaídos, she spoke of a squad in top form: "There are always things we can do better—there always are. We’ll try to correct our mistakes and push to become a practically perfect team. But I believe there’s massive commitment from everyone—from the squad and from the Federation—to achieve something big at the Euros. It won’t be easy, but we’ve got our eyes firmly on it. Today’s level, both defensively and offensively, is very close to the standard we’re aiming for. The team was excellent today."