The news caps off a dream summer for Pajor, coming just weeks after she joined the Catalan giants on a three-year contract. Prior to linking up with Barca, the 27-year-old ace had spent the previous nine years at German giants Wolfsburg.
Described on Barcelona’s webpage as being “a nightmare for opposing defenses,”, Pajor has got off to a lightning start at her new club, impressing in pre-season with four goals to her name.
However, it is for her performances last season that she finds herself in the running for the coveted Ballon d'Or Féminin. Bagging 18 goals in just 19 league matches, the Pole’s tally includes four in a 9-1 drubbing of Nurnberg.
Pajor’s career record stands at 96 league goals in 121 matches, making her one of the most feared goal scorers on the planet. Similarly prolific for her country, Pajor has notched up 59 goals in 75 appearances.
Following her successful stint in Germany – a spell that saw her lift the Bundesliga title five times, and the domestic cup nine – Pajor will now be hoping to finally break her Champions League hex: appearing four times in the final, each time the Pole has ended on the losing side, most recently in 2023.
The odds of this look good. As part of a star-studded Barca side, Pajor will be playing alongside five fellow nominees for the Ballon d'Or Féminin: current holder and playmaker Aitana Bonmati, two-time holder Alexia Putellas, Caroline Graham, Patri Guijarro and Salma Paralluelo.
Organized by France Football magazine, the Ballon d’Or awards began in 1956 and, in 2018, were revised to include a separate women’s category: the Ballon d'Or Féminin. This year’s ceremony will take place at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on October 28.
