To describe Aitana Bonmati, Pep Guardiola, former emblematic coach of FC Barcelona today on the bench of Manchester City, had this formula: “She is the Iniesta of women’s football. » Like his compatriot Andrés Iniesta in the 2010s, the midfielder is the architect of the game of Barça and the Spanish national team. Like him, she placed her club at the top of Europe and La Roja on the roof of the world. Like him, she impresses with her vision, her creativity and the precision of her gestures. Like him, she is a pure product of the Masia, the Blaugrana training center…
The 25-year-old Catalan has never hidden her ” pride “ to be compared to her illustrious elder, but she will still be delighted that the resemblance has ended on one point: Monday October 30, Aitana Bonmati received the Ballon d’or (awarded on the basis of a vote of journalists internationals), an honor that Iniesta has never known. At the Théâtre du Châtelet, in Paris, it seemed unthinkable that any other name than that of the young woman would ring out, when the winner of this 2023 edition was announced.
Because this season, the midfielder has won everything: on April 30, four days before the end of the Spanish championship, she won her fourth title in a row with FC Barcelona; on June 3, in Eindhoven (Netherlands), she won the Champions League for the second time in her career, finishing as the best passer, second best scorer and best player in the competition; three months later, in Sydney (Australia), with her teammates from the national team, she offered La Roja its first women’s world title, with, again, the best player trophy up for grabs.
His mother’s surname
“She is a footballer like very few. She has extraordinary talentsummed up, during the World Cup, defender Irene Paredes, who works alongside her at club and national level. She’s incredible, she’s a genius. » “Aitana has something unique”confirmed goalkeeper Cata Coll.
Like her predecessors, the Norwegian Ada Hegerberg, Golden Ball in 2018, the American Megan Rapinoe, crowned in 2019, and the Spaniard Alexia Putellas, winner in 2021 and 2022, Aitana Bonmati is also a woman whose the commitment goes beyond the strict framework of football pitches. The Catalan displays this facet on a daily basis, through her surname Bonmati, that of her mother. His parents, both professors, fought for a change in Spanish law, which required any child born in the country to have the father’s last name first. “This desire to fight for women’s rights, I think it’s in my blood”argues the interested party in a article published on The Players’Tribunein July.
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