The name of the Mallorcan Cata Coll (Pórtol, Mallorca, 2001) was announced in style last night at the Ballon d’Or Gala held at the London Palladium Theatre as the best goalkeeper in the world. It was Peter Schmeichel, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, who announced the winner and invited her to the stage of the London Palladium. Cata had already come close to winning the award last year, when she finished third.
In this season’s campaign, the Balearic Islander, who started with impressive statistics, has been instrumental in the team’s victories in the Champions League, the Liga F Moeve, the Copa de la Reina, and the Supercopa de España, as well as in the Nations League with Spain, therefore, it’s no surprise that she finished ahead of her rivals: Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Germany’s Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC), Japan’s Ayaka Yamashita (Manchester City), and Brazil’s Lorena Leite (Kansas City); Additionally, she finished 15th in the Ballon d’Or, which was won by her former teammate Alexia Putellas.
A tribute to his family and to Mallorca
This success is also a tribute to Mallorcan soccer and to that humble team where it all began, Collerense. The goalkeeper, dressed in an elegant white two-piece suit, having already received the 2026 Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper and visibly emotional, gave a speech in Catalan, paying tribute to the Barça leadership, her teammates from the Blaugrana and the national team, and highlighting the importance of her family and the unconditional support they have given her.
I am proud to win this award and I would like to thank the Barça coaching staff, President Laporta, and Xavi Puig, as well as the entire rest of the Blaugrana family, and to the national team, for allowing me to represent my country and for teaching me to be better, my teammates on the club team, because a goalkeeper can stop a game or a final, but without them I wouldn’t be here,” the player said, before offering words of gratitude directly to her family. “Thank you to my family; without them, it would be impossible to be here. There’s nothing better to say than: Mom and Dad, thank you for being here. The award bears my name, but it belongs to my family, to Mallorca, and to my teammates.“
His speech concluded with a humorous anecdote, after the host, Thierry Henry, asked him how he had started his career “as a center-back, kicking up a fuss,” as he explained in a recent interview with Forbes Baleares. “When I one day told my father, he asked me not to become a goalkeeper because I would suffer a lot, but I decided to go ahead anyway, and I think it was the right decision.” The result is that she is now the best goalkeeper in the world – no small feat.
Spanish soccer, the big winner of the Ballon d’Or ceremony
The men’s Ballon d’Or was won by English forward Harry Kane – who, to the surprise of many, beat out Kilian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, who finished second and third respectively in the final standings – but the ceremony also served as a tribute to Spanish football, with awards for best coaches going to Luis de la Fuente and Pere Romeu, and for best goalkeepers to Unai Simón and Cata Coll, as well as the Ballon d’Or for Alexia Putellas, the third of her career. Barça closed out the awards by being named the best women’s club.
