Aitana Bonmatí, the Barcelona and Spain midfielder, has claimed the Ballon d’Or Féminin following a record-breaking year with club and country.
Bonmatí assisted Barça winning Liga F and the Champions League last season, before leading Spain to the World Cup prize in the summer.
She was named the Player of the Tournament in Australia and New Zealand and was also recently crowned UEFA Women’s Player of the Year. Bonmati bagged the Ballon d’Or ahead of Australia forward Sam Kerr and Spain winger Salma Paralluelo.
After receiving the award, Bonmatí said, “I want to congratulate all the nominees. All of them are great and inspiring footballers. As role models, we have a responsibility on and off the pitch. We should be more than athletes. Keep leading by example and keep fighting together for a better, peaceful, and equal world.”
Barcelona, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, was also awarded as the women’s team of the year. Bonmatí’s teammate Patri Guijarro and Barça president Joan Laporta received the award on behalf of the club.
It is the third year in a row that a Barça player has won the Ballon d’Or in the women’s game, with Bonmatí succeeding teammate and back-to-back winner Alexia Putellas.
Bonmati told reporters, “Spain has something unique. In recent years we have achieved a lot with our clubs and the national team. It says a lot that we won the Ballon d’Or three times in a row. We are a country that lives football, and we work hard every day to be the best.”
After winning the prize in 2021 and 2022, Putellas skipped the majority of the previous season with an ACL injury, although she did return to play a part in Spain’s World Cup triumph.
Bonmatí, in Putellas’ absence, who came fifth in the 2022 Ballon d’Or, took the spotlight in a more attacking role at Barcelona, scoring nine goals and helping 10 more in 23 appearances as Barça claimed Liga F for a fourth successive season.
She also starred in the Champions League, registering a competition-high 13 goal contributions (five goals and eight assists) in 11 appearances as Barça won the title for a second time.
Bonmatí, at the World Cup, scored three times and set up two more goals as Spain won the contest for the first time, defeating England 1-0 in the final in Sydney.
Bonmatí first broke into the Barça side in 2016 and has since made over 200 appearances for the club, claiming four league titles, two Champions Leagues, five Copas de le Reina, and three Spanish Super Cups.
She made her Spain debut in 2017 and had claimed 57 caps for her nation, scoring 21 goals.
