In the shifting landscape of women’s football, where Barcelona has long set the standard and London now has Alexia Putellas in its orbit, the next generation is already stating its ambitions. Lisa Baum, Arsenal’s 18-year-old forward, has made no secret of hers: she wants to win the Ballon d’Or.
The Tanzania-born attacker is poised for a potentially significant week with Germany. She could make her senior international debut on Friday when Germany face Australia in a friendly, with a place at the World Cup also among her major targets.
“I have a big goal: I want to win the Ballon d’Or,” Baum said while speaking on the Spielmacher podcast.
That prize has been dominated in recent seasons by two figures Baum will have watched closely. Putellas, now at London City Lionesses, has collected the award twice, while her former Barcelona colleague Aitana Bonmatí has won it three times. Putellas remains in contention to draw level with Bonmatí in 2026, but Baum represents the youthful challenge waiting beyond that celebrated rivalry.
A meeting in Cologne
Baum also recalled an unexpected football encounter in Cologne, where she had spent New Year’s Eve with her boyfriend. Through her cousin, who knows Liverpool and Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz, she met him at an indoor five-a-side pitch.
Wirtz quickly offered encouragement. During a break for water, Baum said, he told her: “You are really good.”
For an Arsenal teenager preparing for a possible first step with Germany’s senior side, it was a small moment of recognition on a route she hopes will eventually lead to football’s biggest individual honour.
