The world of sports is an endless source of inspiration and multiculturalism. Within the sports field, soccer is one of the most influential and historic sports worldwide. Its popularization over the years, both in the men’s and women’s categories, has been astonishing, culminating in its celebration as part of the Olympic Games since 1900. Nowadays, it generates great interest on the part of the public, with stadiums full of supporters cheering for their national teams. It creates nations with identities of their own, who in certain moments consider themselves superior among International Relations. Victories, defeats, joy, and sadness are some of the few emotions that participants and supporters alike experience.
Sports, as a way of life, also entail a series of values such as effort, dedication, identity, and discipline. The athletes who overcome any obstacle are worthy of highlighting. Without a doubt, victory allows them to establish a powerful link with the followers, celebrating the prize together. Content enables them to fill their social networks with positive experiences, since they function as role models for all, especially for children, the future of our planet. In short, sports enrich sportsmen and create communities.
Without going further, the young Spanish soccer player has made history with her achievements, bringing women’s sports to the forefront of news in recent months. It has been an exciting journey that has culminated in the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand in mid-2023. At just 25 years of age, she has achieved everything with her club and with the Spanish team. She is Aitana Bonmatí, a humble and hardworking young woman.
Aitana Bonmatí was born on 18 July 1998 in San Pedro de Ribas, Spain. She grew up in a family of soccer fans, with modest means, and she was raised in a supportive atmosphere. As a child, she played soccer with her cousins and, in 2001, joined the local boys’ team, coexisting with them for some years. She stated: “Playing with boys was a source of pride; I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.” In 2008 and 2010, she played with Internacional de San Pedro and FC Barcelona, with her cousin Samuel.
Two years later, she was recruited at just 10 years of age by Barcelona, who had previously seen her in an under-12 tournament, her uncle telling them that she was going to be the best with a soccer ball. She joined the women’s youth training program at the club, which left her parents sad, they had to go to see her, at a distance of 400 kilometers, after only being able to speak with her on the phone. The club created a field for Bonmatí, placing inflatable bottles to simulate players and using a technique that the club would later use with other players: trying to teach them to control the ball with identical movements, through several training sessions a day for several months.
Bonmatí progressed through the various divisions of the club. In July 2015, she signed her first contract with the club, and the following year, she made her debut with the first team in a game against Rayo Vallecano, becoming the youngest-ever Barcelona debutant. In April 2017, she won the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship, scoring a goal in the final against England, which ended in a penalty shoot-out.
3.1. Initial Training and Development
Aitana Bonmatí is a player who has proven in the club and the Spanish national team that she is capable of dominating and deciding a game with her technique and vision. She has already participated in two World Cups and in one of Europe, where Spain was champion and she was part of the best team.
Aitana Bonmatí Conca was born on July 18, 1993, in San Sadurní de Noya, in the province of Barcelona. She played mixed football as a child. She participated in rallies and was even champion of the municipality. It was not until she reached the age of 15 that she decided to play football and that’s when her life changed completely. Bonmatí is the youngest of two sisters. Her parents were not fond of football but they always had a relationship with sport and practiced sports of all kinds. Her mother, Isabel Bonmatí, played in a basketball team; her father was into cycling and her sister, Laia, also cycled. Aitana was a good student being able to combine studies with training.
Aitana Bonmatí began playing at the CE Sant Nicolau de San Sadurní de Noya, a mixed club, and at the age of 14 she became a goal scorer. Later, because of her qualities, she was taken to the CE Sabadell foundation where she competed with girls of the same age to then be taken to the Sabadell Spanish league for three seasons. Born in Sant Sadurní de Noya, she started playing in mixed football. At the age of 14, she was one of the top scorers in the league at San Nicolau and this caught the attention of FC Barcelona. A year later, Aitana signed for the Barça club.
Aitana Bonmatí grew up in a small town called San Andrés de Llavanera, fifteen minutes from Barcelona. She comes from a family of soccer players. Her uncle, who passed away, was a player for a local team in the 1980s. As a child, she began practicing sports with futsal, and from a young age, she showed her talent for playing soccer. She trained very hard to practice her technique; she would take a ball and tuck it under her arm and run at full speed until she would get tired. There are many different opinions about her embryonic years in soccer. Her parents wanted her to practice a team sport and began taking her to a football school. After spending a lot of time in various teams where girls often quit, limiting the activity, a cousin of Aitana mentioned that girls were being taken with the opportunity to train with boys.
This was something new for Aitana. It soon became a reality. She got to Sant Genís, the place next to Montcada and Reixac where she would play with the local team and where she worked for six years. A few months later, Sant Genís de Montcada qualified for the Catalan final. They lost in overtime to a rival; however, they had made it clear that they were tough to beat. There were many boy teams. Even the men’s first division team had been reformed a couple of years back. Aitana played as tenth for the boys during the winter. The start of her story did not lack any ingredient. A fire was lit in Aitana Bonmatí. In a short time, the coach changed her position and made her bow, an unusual decision in a children’s category. Playing at a team that would go on to be champion of everything, Aitana shone and beat a lot of records. Aitana Bonmatí was only eleven years old when she joined the lower ranks of a major club. There she developed her game and her talent was recognized when they arrived in Catalonia.
An agreement was made for Aitana Bonmatí to join FC Barcelona in 2012, just days after her twelfth birthday, with her parents signing a contract to allow her to play with the boys at the club. She joined FC Barcelona’s prebenjamín children’s team at nine years old, where she played together with boys until FC Barcelona sidelined girls from mixed teams in October 2013. In the spring of 2016, soon after turning sixteen, she debuted with FC Barcelona B while continuing to train with the senior FC Barcelona Femení team. She was recalled to FC Barcelona next year and made her official debut with the first team on 12 November 2017 in a Primera División match against Sporting de Huelva.
After playing fifteen matches and scoring three goals, she was diagnosed with pneumonia in late January 2018 and was sidelined for more than three months. She progressively resumed play in late March, making her return with FC Barcelona B, and in late April, she returned to the first team in another Primera División match against Transportes Alcaine. In January 2019, Bonmatí scored her first goal of the season, during a Spanish Supercup match against Logroño. In July 2019, she extended her contract with FC Barcelona until 2022. The 2019–20 season began with a Champions League qualifying tie against Minsk, in which Bonmatí scored a goal. In September, she provided the assist for a goal scored by Jenni Hermoso during the first match of the Primera División season. In November, she netted a hat-trick against the Belgian team, and in December Bonmatí signed a renewed contract with FC Barcelona. In March, she received three chances to score during the Copa de la Reina final, after which her team won the title.
Aitana Bonmatí began her professional career in 2016 with FC Barcelona Femení, and as such, she remained until the 2022-23 season. She was part of the Golden Era in terms of titles won by the Culés, playing alongside players like Alexia Putella, Jody taylor, and Jenni Hermoso. During her time with the Catalans, she achieved the following: 2 UEFA Women’s Champions League; 3 Primera División; 2 Copa de la Reina; 2 Supercopa de España. In the UEFA Women’s Champions League, she played a key role in the semifinals won against Chelsea.
Bonmatí was promoted to the first team during the 2016-17 season. She had previously been a player for the U-19 team that won the UEFA Women’s Youth League. On 21 December 2016, she made her debut with the first team in the Copa de la Reina quarterfinal match against Granadilla, in which the players coached by Xavi Llorens won 4-1. On 9 February 2017, she made her league debut in a match against Athletic Bilbao. In May 2022, she won the first league championship with the first team, having been promoted to the first team during the 2016-17 season and the first UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2021. On 18 May of that year, she assisted the Catalans with a brace of assists in the second leg of the semifinals held at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, descending to make the return to Craig Marth after suffering an ACL injury. The two assists were for Ana Maria Crnogorcevic and Gilda Aurellio.
Before her debut, Bonmatí had shown a great projection at a young age. After being chosen several times by the Catalan National Team, she moved to the Spanish National Team with great determination. In 2016, after being a fundamental part of the U19 Femenina team that won the UEFA Championship and the U20 Femenina team that participated in the World Cup, she made the leap to Barcelona Femení, where she trained with the first team for a month before her official debut at 18 years of age. The game was a League match against Madrid CFF that Barcelona won by 3-0. The team, under coach Fran Sánchez, was on the lookout for her explosive style of play. With Bonmatí on the field of play, everything was easier and it was not long before she began to be one of the mainstays in which the coach relied on the field.
Bonmatí began by rotating with other players despite being one of the youngest in the team. She played several matches in the 2016-17 season until she gradually established herself as a starter in the second year. That season, Barcelona reached another final of the Copa de la Reina, but lost by 3–0 against Atlético de Madrid. Despite her youth, Aitana showed all her quality, technique and elegance with the ball on her feet. After a difficult and complicated first year, Aitana knew what it was like to party with the team again. Barça won their first La Liga in the club’s history, beginning to build the structure of what they would become in the future. Little by little, the young player was gaining weight in the team and her quality made her focus on her next goal: the National Team.
Aitana Bonmatí’s career has been a continuous rise since she began playing for the FC Barcelona Femení first team. There have been no problems in trusting her that she couldn’t resolve through hard work and performance. Her goal against an opponent would come in her fifth appearance with the first team. Since then, she has participated in important matches, such as the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, in which she played 83 minutes. She cannot be missing from the league, in which she scored her first goal against another team on February 22, 2015. She finished the season with five goals in twenty-one games.
The 2017–18 season was her breakthrough. She scored a goal in a match and three in the league. In February, she became the youngest player in history to play four UEFA Women’s Champions League quarter-final matches when she played against another team in the round of the tournament. She later scored in the second leg, and three more in the semifinals against another team. Her performances in that Champions League secured her an important spot in the first team for the following year.
She scored regularly in La Liga but had her most remarkable match in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. FC Barcelona suffered a defeat in the first leg against another team. In the second leg, with little more than a quarter of the game played, she scored two of the three goals the team needed to give the upset, which would finally end in a defeat after extra time. Aitana would continue scoring important goals at the club. In the Spanish Supercup held in January, she scored one against another team and another two against another team to lift the title. She ended the season with 17 goals. With the national team, she already had four caps since her debut in February 2016 against another team. However, that would change in the summer of 2019 when she was included on the roster for a major tournament.
After making her senior debut, Aitana has been a key figure in the FC Barcelona Femení squad and in its fans’ hearts. However, seeking more playing time, she looked for a way out and, after a stellar FIFA Women’s World Cup with the Spanish national team that crowned her with a gold medal, she signed with New Jersey’s NJ/NY Gotham FC, club member of the National Women’s Soccer League, on 18 September 2023. Aitana will reunite with former Barcelona teammate, Jennifer Hermoso, who plays for the NWSL Shield winner.
“We are excited to announce the signing of FIFA World Cup Champion and UEFA Women’s Euro Champion Aitana Bonmatí. The Spanish midfielder is considered one of the best players in the world and now represents Gotham FC,” Gotham FC announced.
The news shocked fans of the Barcelona club, who showed their discontent on social media after the news broke. On the other hand, the club released an official statement confirming the transfer. Aitana rejected several bids from clubs, stating that Barcelona was her home. The FC Barcelona group of directors settled the situation and an agreement was reached. The Spanish international chose Gotham FC because of the club’s ambition and the attractive project they offer. She stated, “The NWSL is the most competitive league in the world. I want to grow as a footballer and I think the best decision is to play in that league.”
Aitana Bonmatí has been a fixed asset within the Spanish national team system since their passage through the U16, U17, U19 and U20 categories. She has been part of all the major tournaments of the young teams but it was in the UEFA Women’s U19 Championship 2018, which also gave Spain the ticket for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2018. In the second tournament, Aitana was not present in the group stage, which ended with the elimination of the team after losing all three games. In September 2019, Bonmatí was called up with the U23 to play a friendly in Australia. In the U19 category, Bonmatí was the best player in the UEFA Women’s U19 Championship 2017, in which Spain was a finalist, and in 2018, Spain won, where Aitana was also the best player. In the second of those tournaments, she scored 3 goals and gave four assists, being a decisive player for the Spanish team. Bonmatí made her senior debut with Spain on 22 October 2020 against the Netherlands in a friendly match. Six days later, she played her first official match, a 2021 UEFA Women’s Euro qualifier against Moldova. Bonmatí was part of the squad that participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics. On March 4, 2022, she was part of the starting eleven against the Czech Republic in the 2022 Arnold Clark Cup. In mid-April, Bonmatí was called up to replace the injured Andrea Pereira in the squad that would travel to the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro. A few days before this tournament, she played her last preparation match against the New Zealand football team. She debuted in the Euro on July 6 against Finland. Three days later, Aitana scored a goal against Denmark.
Aitana Bonmatí made her debut for the Spanish national team in 2018. Since April 2019, she has been regularly called to the national team. With the Spanish national team, she played as a starter at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2020 and the Women’s World Cup, where Spain became world champions for the first time. The UEFA Women’s Euro 2020 was Aitana’s first major tournament with the Spanish national team. Spain was included in Group D along with England, Scotland, and Portugal. Dressing as a starter in both matches of the group stage, Bonmatí and her team reached the quarterfinals, which ended in a 4-0 defeat against the English team.
The Women’s World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was Spain’s second World Cup. The team made its debut against Costa Rica, led by a hat-trick from Bonmatí on whose feet the 5 goals scored by Spain in the match fell. One of Bonmatí’s three goals scored was later elected the FIFA Puskás Award. The Spanish team reached the final, in which it beat England 1-0, with a goal from Olga Carmona. Aitana Bonmatí, along with her teammates, won the Best National Team Award at the The Best FIFA Football Awards, and Bonmatí also won the Best FIFA Women’s Player of the Year award.
In 2014, she won the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship with the Spanish team coached by Jorge Vilda. She participated in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup that same year and was one of the tournament’s favorites, although they were eliminated in the quarterfinals against the Japanese team. Two years later she participated in the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship and won for the first time under the command of Leticia. In the final, they beat the Danish team 2-1. This qualified the team for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, but unfortunately, Spain was eliminated in the quarterfinals against the North Korean team. In 2017, she was back in another UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship, and for the second time she was crowned champions of the category. Throughout the tournament she demonstrated her quality as a player, coming to be compared with other great historical players and earning the affection of the fans, as well as winning many awards. The Under-19 team qualified for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, and it was Aitana’s first tournament out of Europe. The Spanish team reached the quarterfinals, but were defeated by the Japanese team. The selection was saying goodbye to the tournament, but Aitana received the golden boot for being the competition’s top scorer with 7 goals and the golden ball for being the best player in the tournament. In 2022 she participated in the UEFA Women’s Euro with the Spanish team. They reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, but were eliminated by the English team, who were the eventual champions.
Aitana Bonmatí’s impact on the Spanish national team has been considerable. After moving up the ranks through the U17, U19, and U20 teams, she made her senior debut for La Roja in 2018, marking her place on the team in a UEFA Euro Qualifying match against Moldova. After 5 years on the team, she has played many important matches, including the Eurogroup stage match against Germany in 2022, in which she scored one of Spain’s two goals; and the joint fourth round of the FIFA Women’s World Cup against Sweden in which she scored, and subsequently assisted another in a surprising 2-1 victory, resulting in Spain’s historic reach into the final of the tournament.
Despite all these accomplishments, the years have not been easy for Bonmatí and La Roja. She went through and witnessed a series of important clashes between national team players and the Spanish Football Federation, creating an atmosphere of concern, especially before the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euro. After a disappointing tournament, Aitana and other prominent team members went on to become the headline of the World Cup campaign, and after building trust in the new team management led by coach Jorge Vilda, the girls went on to win the tournament, overcoming Brazil, Sweden, and England on the way, achieving the ultimate goal as a team and finally uniting after the challenges experienced in previous years.
Moving forward, Aitana will be one of the most important players for La Roja, both as a reference on and off the pitch; undoubtedly a mission in which she is skilled. Both her experience in major events and her communication, leadership, and assertiveness skills will help her handle the young talents coming into the national team in the coming years.
Aitana Bonmatí’s playing style and key characteristics have contributed to her being recognized as one of the most talented midfielders in history, including male football. She is a midfielder capable of adapting to multiple roles in different systems, notably as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder, or attacking midfielder.
Bonmatí possesses a great command of the ball, manipulating and controlling it skillfully with both feet, which makes her a reliable player comfortable handling and manipulating the ball. This quality helps her to act as a physical and technical leader, distributing and breaking the opponent’s press with her dribbles, passes, or vision. Her indirect threat exists and makes her an expert in using through balls at all distances due to her ability to anticipate plays and her vision of upcoming options; her direct threat exists because she is a great long-distance shooter, and her first touch diminishes the rival’s recovery options. She also exerts pressure with great intensity and anticipation, recovering or stealing many balls from opponents, and her first touch and dribbling make her an excellent player one-on-one. Finally, her left foot is a deadly weapon for long, precise passes that break defensive lines due to their effect; she’s an expert in assists. Bonmatí also showed her versatility as a left-back.
Bonmatí plays as a midfielder for FC Barcelona and the Spain women’s national football team. FC Barcelona manager described her as a midfielder with the ability to impact and influence games without having the ball due to her work ethic and ability to read and analyze game situations. As a result, she is increasingly present in the entire 90 minutes. It was noted that more recently, she became a hybrid between midfield and forward due to the lack of goal.
Aitana Bonmatí possesses an impressive technical repertoire, along with a unique way of executing actions that makes her one of the most entertaining players to watch. As a central midfielder, she has seamless control of the ball and excels at precision passing with either foot. More interestingly, her passing distances cover both short and long distances, which makes her a threat in different areas of the pitch. Through the use of precise long balls, she can switch the play quickly, finding isolated teammates in the other half. The poise and precision present in her long passes also allows her to break defences with vertical balls and through balls. She also executes short passes with both feet and possesses exceptional close control which allows her to progress the play and find passing options even in tight spaces. Both her passing and dribbling make her a dangerous link-up player and facilitate connection play between the forwards and the rest of the midfielders.
She has a good sense of timing and decision-making while under pressure, which allows her to decide when to make a pass or to carry the ball forward. This skill set, as well as her shooting ability, allows her to shine in possession-based teams that create several chances per match. In addition to being a key passing player who creates chances for her teammates, her finishing technique with both feet allows her to be a threat to score from various positions in the attacking third. Simultaneously, her poise means she does not waste good goal-scoring opportunities. Bonmatí’s dribbling, passing, and shooting set her apart as a key finishing and chance-creating player in a possession-oriented attack.
Aitana Bonmatí is usually the most influential player in her team’s playmaking and transition defense, and much of this comes from her elite tactical awareness. Like any elite playmaker, Aitana Bonmatí excels at arranging space for intricate passing exchanges, and getting into the perfect position possible, in the perfect moment possible. The simplest way for playmakers to arrange team shape is by dictating how opponents react; this preparatory work for a later action is called “cues.” The best route to get teams to shift their shape in ways beneficial to Aitana Bonmatí’s side is by moving without the ball; playmakers come to dominate the game when they develop the ability to widen or compress space by drawing defenders in. Her motion off the ball establishes shifts in space that allow her and her teammates to movement into the receiving spots for subsequent actions, which may involve dribbling or passing. However, movement off the ball by everyone else on her side is not always enough – certain setups require players to look for the optimal moment to initiate movement; as space is created, attention must be paid to slide open the receiving lanes when opponents are distracted or reluctant to close them down.
Since she excelled at this cueing as a youth player, she has often taken up the “false 9” position early in a game. Not a lot of youth players are comfortable playing this role, but Bonmatí was very good at it. This means she often ends up dropping into deeper central areas because otherwise, there is no way for her team to dictate opposition shape to open later avenues to advance play. When playing for her club, Bonmatí does this with greater tactical frequency than other teams’ players. This desire to drift into deep areas has led to a debate about how many players from her team and national team compete in and influence the game from the number “10” or advanced playmaker position.
Despite her slender physique, which is uncommon among elite players, Aitana Bonmatí is remarkably swift and physically powerful. She is adept at shielding the ball, receives it well under pressure, and remains composed in contact situations. Bonmatí excels at maintaining the perfect distance to the player in front of her, exhibiting incredible balance even amidst tussles. She time and again shows her capability to withstand challenges, shake off defenders, and drive down the line to cut the ball back. Her accelerations off the mark are blistering, allowing her to beat defenders in one-on-one situations and leave them chasing shadows. Abilities like these may cause the right-back she faces grief but only open up the space in the half-space on their inside, which can be advantageous for her team as well. As a wide forward, she often exploits her opponent’s slowest defender in one-on-one encounters and takes control of the match.
Weighing roughly 55kg and standing 1.60m, she is smaller than most elite players. It would seem at first glance that physically, she is short-changed. Despite her diminutive stature, she holds her ground against many a defender and almost never falters in duels. She is less deceptive with the ball than a player like Lionel Messi, who creates space with pure gliding dribbling, but in a way, is more lethal. Upon deriving the attack from the right-back in the left half-space or from a horizontal pass from the central midfielders into the left wing, she drives freely toward the goal of the opponent, ball glued to her feet.
Her balance is so remarkable, for that matter, that it seems she’s receiving a surplus of impulses from every direction and effortlessly tempering them to advance toward the opponent’s goal. Dribbling is a lethal weapon for Aitana. What makes her overpowering is her ability to manipulate the ball using abrupt changes in acceleration.
Aitana Bonmatí is one of the great figures of the FC Barcelona women’s team, both for her team success and for her individual recognition. At a club level, she has enjoyed great success, with her first trophies being five national and international titles in the 2020/21 season. In total, she has won two UEFA Champions League, five Spanish Leagues, and two Copa de la Reina. On June 3, 2023, she became the first Spanish player to win the UEFA Champions League and the Women’s World Cup in the same season. That same year, she was the only player who was awarded the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award and the FIFA Best Award.
At the international level, Aitana started to compete with the national team in the U17 category, with which she won the 2018 European Championship and the runner-up in the 2018 U17 World Cup. She made her senior debut on March 27, 2020, in a match against the Netherlands. She was part of the Spanish team during the Eurocup 2020 and the Women’s World Cup 2023. In the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, she was one of the most outstanding players by winning the FIFA Golden Ball and the L’Equipe trophy for the best player in the tournament, with a total of three assists and a goal in the closure category during the three knockout matches. In the final against England, Aitana assisted for Olga Carmona’s goal in the first half, who sealed the victory for Spain. This title made her the first player in history to win the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA World Cup in the same year.
After Aitana Bonmatí’s arrival at FC Barcelona, her first season in the Primera División resulted in a league title; her second season resulted in a regular phase league title, followed by 2 Copa de la Reina titles between her third and fourth seasons in the tourney. She played a total of 63 league matches in this duration, starting 22 and scoring 9 goals. They were complemented by regular phase winning seasons with Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de España titles during her fifth season in the top flight. Since the 2021–22 season, Barcelona have enjoyed a period of dominance over the women’s league and its concurrent tournaments, going on to win the league title, Supercopa de España, and Copa de la Reina for every season up until 2023.
Since the 2021–22 season, she won the league title with Barcelona in every season, having capped 56 league matches, scoring 8 goals in the process. She has won 8 league titles by the end of the 2022–23 season, with 4 being from the Primera División; the remaining 4 being from the Liga F. She has also won all concurrent leagues accompanying those league titles, with the exception of the 2017–18 and 2019–20 seasons, in which Liga F existed exclusively. No women players, at any level, have won more league titles than her. Bonmatí also became the youngest player to reach 100 matches in the Liga F, by surpassing the record set by another player.
Barcelona won their first official title on a global frame in 2020, when they take the first ever edition of the Spanish club on the UEFA Women’s Futsal Champions. In the women’s soccer, they achieved their first international success in 2018, winning Aitana Bonmatí’s first international title, the UEFA Women’s U19 Championship. This success allowed Spain to compete in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in France, where they reached the semifinals. In 2022, Aitana Bonmatí and Spain were again runners-up in the U20 World Cup. Aitana Bonmatí won again the UEFA Women’s U19 Championship in 2019, being the captain of the team. With the senior national team, Bonmatí won the first two titles of Spain, the UEFA Women’s Euro and the FIFA Women’s World Cup, both being held in Germany and Australia respectively, in addition to the Summer Olympics in Paris, and successfully defended the title of the UEFA Women’s Euro held in Sweden and the FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Canada. Additionally to these two European cups, Barcelona also won the UEFA Women’s Futsal Champions. On the national frame, they wanted free to 2022, winning the first three editions. In the UEFA Women’s Futsal Champions, Aitana Bonmatí was awarded as the Most Valuable Player. This success also allowed Spain to compete the second official edition of the FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup in the United States and the host country. On the women’s frame, they achieved two thirds in the men’s hit list, winning the UEFA Women’s Futsal Champions League in 2023.
In addition to the success that Aitana Bonmatí has achieved as a member of the National Spanish Teams, she has also received numerous individual awards that accentuate her talent. She received the Best Young Player award during the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. In 2015, she received two awards for being the Best Young Player of the UEFA Women’s U-17 Championship: the first for the final matches and the second during the championship. In 2021, Bonmatí was selected as the Best Player of the UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship. Later that same year during the second leg of the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League, she was one of two winners of the UEFA Women’s Champions League Goal of the Season award. In June of that same year, Bonmatí was named the MVP of the Primera División de España Femenina after having scored a total of 163 goals during that season and done a total of 40 assists. On October 28, 2022, she won La Liga’s Best Midfielder award for the season.
With the Spanish National Team, she won the Golden Boot of the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championship after becoming the tournament’s top scorer with four goals. With the absolute team, she received the Silver Ball at the FIFA Women’s World Cup after having played a total of 5 matches and scored one goal, being declared Player of the Match in both the semifinals and final. The La Liga’s award is added to a long list of individual honors that Aitana has amassed during her short career.
Aitana Bonmatí’s impact on women’s soccer extends beyond her extraordinary career; she serves as an inspiration and role model for aspiring female athletes and a strong advocate for the advancement of women’s sports. As one of the most recognized figures in the sport, Bonmatí’s achievements and determination resonate with young players who see in her a prototype of perseverance and talent. With a humble spirit, she consistently encourages playful fun as the main source of satisfaction. But young players also witness the excitement conveyed through social networks when the World Cup is won or when challenges are met, be it a difficult defeat or the ratification of being the best team in the world. The Women’s World Cup final was witnessed by over 100 million people. Talking about someone who’s gone through that impressive channel of talent shines bright in each of these players, who dream one day of being like her and making it possible for girls to wear the colors of your country. Tessa de Witte, a striker for the Netherlands, put it simply. She defined her as a “top player”.
Bonmatí also gives voice to the many athletes who suffer from inadequate economic and media support, achieving great results through dedication to their passion. Fighting for equal rights is a duty of everyone. Women’s soccer is a mirror of society, and the inequality experienced in it is reflected on and off the pitch. The difference in investment has been evidenced season after season. The substantial income generated by men fuels the supremacy of national and global teams, generating a huge disparity with the precariousness of the women’s branches. Years of efforts that have led to important and spectacular international tournaments with audiences equal to, if not larger than, those from men have not been enough to reverse the trend of inequality. The world celebrates and recognizes the players, but the clubs continue the same way. The current season has faced disparities in many nations over the amount of leagues on offer and the calendar length. During the period when the men’s leagues were on, many teams had only one training session or small friendly matches to keep fit, waiting for the league to resume.
Throughout her career, Aitana Bonmatí has been surrounded by illustrious world football stars. From her childhood memories in Sant Cugat to her time with the student team chosen to represent Catalunya at the World Games; with the U19 team that triumphed in the European Championship; with the domestic senior team that twice conquered the Euro and the World Cup two years later and, finally, in the massive majority of her matches –500 to date– with the first Barça team that, over the last decade, has changed the concept of women’s football.
According to her longtime physical trainer, “Her progression has been incredible. She plays in spaces where most players have not yet arrived.” In fact, Aitana reflects the exciting and early future of contemporary girls’ football; an inspiration who, in addition to a spectacular technique, possesses a litany of virtues that go beyond the field, such as good humour and camaraderie. Along with her sporting success and her podiums full of medals, Aitana still has time to answer questions to her legion of young followers, and to attend, on the odd occasion, to girl scouts who look up to her as the modern day football player that still remains unattainable for most –an average girl who has made her dream possible.
In addition to being a role model for aspiring athletes, Aitana Bonmatí is an advocate of women’s sports, dedicating speeches and moments in front of numerous media and practically in all social events to claim equality in sports. In a statement after winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League, she stated: “It’s wonderful, it’s brutal. Women’s football is growing a lot. I think we are already in a position to take a step forward and it is a great showcase. I hope many people tune in, what happened this year in Europe with the UEFA Women’s Euros was incredible and we are in a moment in which we can grow partially. I hope that this Champions League final is also a turning point”.
Aitana requested equality in another interview statement when the season was about to begin: “Last year was a turning point, I think it was the year of women’s sport and specifically of women’s football. People have realized the level we are at, we have been giving a lot of joy and from the Federation and the League there has to be a clear commitment, that we want equal conditions, that we deserve it. Because we are professionals and we dedicate ourselves to this”. She did the same with the platforms, asking for push and help from social media during a joint campaign for La Casa de la Vida: “I want to send this message to everyone, including ‘influencers’ or companies, who have a lot of followers on social media: If you really think that you are helping, make lives and help this social project”.
9.1. Social Media Influence Although not a very influential figure within media, Bonmatí is active on her social media accounts, where she counts with 712k followers and 160.5k followers by December 2023. Aitana Bonmatí uses her social media mainly to post about herself, her activities, and her daily life, but she also supports social causes like the campaign, which aimed to publicize the impact of climate change in the world of sports. The Catalan said “To use football to raise environmental awareness is of great help to create awareness in consumers and companies so they can work to improve the situation.” In April 2022, she signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with a Basque wine producer. At the beginning of the week of the World Cup victory, it became known that she had joined the roster of clients of an agency for the construction of her commercial image. In this last phase of interest of the sponsors to get closer to women’s football, Bonmatí is expected to generate a significant increase in income in the short term. The Catalan is expected to be the protagonist of one of the next campaigns for a beauty brand that she has worked with before and that the Catalan footballer does not tire of mentioning in her social media.
9.2. Interviews and Public Appearances Aitana Bonmatí is not a very talkative person and rarely gives interviews. During her public speeches, she stands as a humble person and one who believes that talent, far from being a character trait, must be earned with hard work. She hates to be called “the best football player in the world” and usually replies that “I am the best in what I do, and I try to get my best version.” The Spanish footballer is aware that excessive media attention has consequences, and she fears that her image will be associated exclusively with her impressive technical skills and not her effort or discipline. She tries to keep her head clear, recognizing that “I don’t enjoy it that much, because I don’t want to become a diva.”
9.1. Social Media Influence Aitana Bonmatí actively shares her life and career on social media. Aitana has three hundred thousand followers on Instagram. Keeping in mind that followers are often interested not only in the player but also in the person behind the athlete, Bonmatí engages in a wide variety of posts. Social media has always been a place for public personas to show their followers parts of their lives. Aitana Bonmatí is no exception to this trend. However, for the football star, social media can serve a secondary purpose: raising awareness of issues she cares about. On her Instagram, Aitana Bonmatí shows the funny and quirky sides of both her society — the FC Barcelona teammates and footballers from other teams that she encounters — and her own life. The images also display a well-rounded young woman facing life and her passions in a colorful way, never boring and always relatable. Although Aitana Bonmatí’s public persona is that of a stylish player who clearly loves fashion, food, and society, she also takes the time to promote societal causes that she stands for.
While the majority of Bonmatí’s posts show highlights or funny moments from her daily career and life, she addresses other topics on occasion as well. Most notably, she raises awareness of mental health topics. She openly talks about mental health in her conversations with the media. This way, she joins the ranks of today’s players addressing societal problems related to sports — or that are prominent in society in general. Mental health is an important theme for today’s footballers and athletes in other sports. Players have addressed issues relating to mental health in various aspects for some time now. Through her posts on Instagram and messages during interviews, Bonmatí aids the efforts of her fellow players. Together, with other athletes, she shows that talking about mental health and raising awareness should be something everybody does, because it is a necessary cause that requires attention.
The work of Aitana is analyzed to study her impact outside the sports field and the image she projects in this media space. The results indicate that the player is a relevant figure in the world of football not only for her successes on the pitch but also for her personality and values shared with the fans. More research is needed on this issue with this type of player since the role of spokespersons and persons of influence is increasing, especially for companies. Media exposure could also affect the future of the younger generations or sponsoring the players themselves. Interviews and public appearances give the external world the opportunity to discover the figure of Aitana beyond the pitch. Even in the media area, it is known that this exposure and disclosure has increased rapidly and, on many occasions, the player exceeds the times of paid visibility required by companies or federations where media professionals, sponsors of the teams, are present. The most relevant topics are trust and support for victims of gender violence. Issues such as sexual equality are also highlighted. On repeated occasions, Aitana is placed as a spokesperson for a very current social problem around women in the sphere of sports, politics and the economy, not only in Spain but worldwide. Despite the fact that the player was not yet a world champion, in the Olympics and the Euro Cup, she was already assumed to project a well-structured opinion and deserved to pose as a spokesperson. She appears before the cameras as a phenomenon to convey ideas and communicate values.
Bonmatí aims to savor the present moment but is aware of the importance of improving with the passage of time. She advises on living the process because the more experiences you accumulate, the better for the end of the career, where perhaps they don’t have such a good time anymore. The goal is to see how far fate takes them, but she is aware that to be able to end her career at a high level, she has to constantly improve. Goals for the coming years include seeing how long she can stay competitive at the elite level and deciding what to do hereafter: the decision won’t be made lightly; she studies the possibility of going to Sagrada Família. If the time comes that her body can no longer follow, she will dedicate herself to guide the girls who come from below. She wants to keep Portugal’s group’s growth and to be able to delight fans with good soccer.
Bonmatí is clear that she needs to improve physically; injuries require a physical and mental improvement to bring out the best version: it’s a personal goal and she wants to see that in the coming years. Another of the things she wants to improve is to generate more chances in front of goal, to be able to score more, to solve matches for the team, to be that decisive player that everything wants. She wants to keep enjoying soccer because this passion already and for many years, but she also wants to continue improving; the desire must never end, and being a perfect player is impossible, but she wants to be the best version.
It is difficult to predict what Aitana Bonmatí’s future will look like as she is still relatively young in the world of football and has more than a decade to go until she is ready to retire. Up until today, she has uncovered very little about how she plans to shape the latter part of her career. With so many changes happening in her life every day, it is likely that she is concentrating on living in the moment, rather than thinking ahead.
One of the main factors is whether she sees herself playing for Barcelona until the end of her career, a surfer girl who is heavily in love with her hometown and seems to have all that she could ever want there. If this is the case, then the following four or five years would likely be spent at Barça, improving her football day after day with every training session and every match, with the aim of pushing the club to the top of women’s football once again. The aim would be to claim the Champions League title while continuing to win it all nationally. After this, she might have a quieter or different type of season to transition into where she starts making less contributions on the pitch, although certainly still making her mark in big moments. Finally, she could see herself retiring from the club at the end of this second stage, having fulfilled her aspirations and having become the best football player in history. Would this be enough for Bonmatí to feel fulfilled? Or would she contrast it with a couple of years at a different club in a different country with a different culture?
Although motivated by potential individual recognitions, Aitana Bonmatí also values that her efforts help promote her team and her country. At the national level, she would have liked FC Barcelona and the Spanish women’s national team to reach more finals, but she appreciated that both the club and the team had a very good effort in recent seasons. This can also happen in periods where they do not reach the expected goal, but the team’s commitment to the fan and the club’s colors remains intact. Bonmatí is sure that both FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team will be leaders. For her, being number one is winning, but it is not the only important condition, as they can also be number one when they do not win. Aitanita is confident that they will achieve a lot together. When asked about if the collective victories can bring individual recognition, she jokes that Aitana would be surrounded by a good team, good players, working all year round to achieve the goals. Her object will be to help her teammates, to reach the last weeks of the season with options for everything, to enjoy and strive with them, to be very close to them, to be in the dressing room for all the last decisive matches.
The player insists on a recurring idea in her speeches. Soccer is meant to be enjoyed, for the passion that she met when she was little and that allows her to keep brushes in mind. And to indulge the other teammates and others who go out to cheer for them. Fans make sacrifices to come and cheer for you since the previous week, so she intends to do everything possible to reward their effort. Playing football is a gift and she is happy to be able to enjoy it. As long as she wants, she will continue to work every day with enthusiasm, with the desire to learn from her teammates and coaches, from those on the other side. Both on a day-to-day basis and on match days, she will continue to be optimistic and convey good energy to the team. Just as her teammates did when she made her overly ambitious requests at the beginning of her career, they gently told her: “We still have to grow a little more.” Having a team to accompany you in those moments is a privilege.
Aitana Bonmatí’s career too recently to be considered a classic in football, surely it will be in the future. This great Spanish footballer, of humble origin and big talent, born to play with the boys, has been a pioneer for peace, inspiring many girls to take up a ball with courage. Aitana is possibly the best midfielder in the world. Despite her years and trophies at Barça, what she has just done in the selection, in this World Cup, is inscribed in gold letters in history: lead her country to win its first Women’s World Cup. After a youth career in a boys’ team where she dominated, she decided to stop everything and go back to her origins: Barça. After a departure to the English Chelsea, where she was everything, she returned home to fulfill her dream, to be a member of the first Barça ladies crowned champions of Europe. The club has given her happiness, but it has also made her suffer: injuries, failed attempts at the Champions League, the unhappy days always living in the shadow of Alexia Putella… But Aitana has never thrown in the towel. She is a clear example of sacrifice. Barcelona has made Aitana and Aitana has made Barça. And now, in the middle of the summer, the golden star of the Champions League must accompany her to the next season, the same way that Aitana Bonmatí has accompanied with her talent and heart Barcelona until today. The Barcelona player will have many more successes at the club, but this number, the one of the World Cup, will always be unique. Aitana Bonmatí, the first, who finally wins the World Cup.
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