Aitana Bonmatí ‘s story to become the Golden Ball hasn’t been an easy one. From Sant Pere de Ribas to the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The Spanish player has won the award for best player in the world in a historic way after a season to remember, doing things that no one has ever done in the world of football.
Without any debate, Aitana Bonmatí has been the best footballer on the planet in every sense of the word. With notebook and pen in hand, we can break down some paranormal numbers and statistics that we have begun to normalise. We have become accustomed to this girl. The more clueless may have met her at the World Cup where she wowed the football world.
However, Aitana Bonmatí has not been a one-month thing. She has been dazzling women’s football fans for years. Leading Barça this season, she has won the Champions League, La Liga and Super Cup. And in all competitions she was the best. The compass and all-rounder of the Catalan team. She assists, marks, fights, recovers, captains and organises the game. Aitana controls all facets of the game in a supernatural way and it is no coincidence that Guardiola compares her to his idol Iniesta.
The Catalan player achieved the best numbers of her career with Barça, with 19 goals and 21 assists. She has shown her footballing maturity by leading the Azulgranas after Alexia Putellas‘ injury. She has also shown all this with Spain. She returned to the national team after several months of absence due to the conflict with the federation to play in the World Cup and change things.
Aitana conquered the first World Cup for Spain being the best. Again without any debate. The Catalan managed to score three goals and two assists in seven games. Her match to watch again and again is the match against Switzerland in the round of 16, where she gave a real masterclass on how to play the perfect game.
Perhaps the most admirable thing about Aitana isn’t her game. Her obsession to be better every day has no ceiling. The self-demanding nature that the player transmits in each match shows that perhaps this isn’t yet her best version. Remember that she is only 25 years old. It seems to me that this isn’t going to be her last Ballon d’Or either. The whole world has surrendered to her football.
Aitana Bonmatí took advantage of the loudspeaker that the Ballon d’Or gave her to demand a fairer football: “As players, we have to be more than sportswomen. We have to keep fighting to achieve a peaceful and equal world for everyone”. Aitana has grown by almost a million followers, but she is still the same girl from Sant Pere de Ribas with many dreams to fulfil.
She thanked her clubs (Ribes, Cubelles and Barça) for giving her the opportunity to train and become a professional footballer. As a child she couldn’t dream of it and had to listen to all kinds of comments for practising her favourite sport. Now she dazzles the world and fills stadiums. The twists and turns of life.
Despite her success, Aitana doesn’t forget where she comes from and continues to have the same values that Rosa and Vicent, her parents, instilled in her. Both fought to change the surname rule in Spain and now she fights for equality in the world with the great spotlight in front of her.
Aitana has shown to the world that she is still that little girl with her ball surrounded in a ‘man’s world’. However, her ball is now bathed in gold. And now she rubs shoulders with Messi, although she still doesn’t quite believe it and nervously asks him for a photo like that little girl who idolised him so much. Aitana Bonmatí is already football history.
Mapi León, Patri Guijarro, Alba Redondo, Olga Carmona and Salma Paralluelo. All of them Spanish and nominated for the Ballon d’Or. And surely some more who were skipped in the call for the awards. The hegemony of Spanish football has been incredible in recent times and I hope we continue to enjoy this kind of happiness for many more years to come.
How unaccustomed we have become to good football lately. Three golden balls in the last three years. There are more and more good players coming through. We have won the World Cup. We have the best players in the world in the Spanish league. Betting has been the key, but there is still a long way to go. We are having a lot of luck and I don’t know if it is being fully appreciated.
And the world has confirmed this week what many of us have known for a long time: Aitana Bonmatí is the best player in the world and Spain has the best players.
Translated by Marcos Rodríguez.
Main image: @FCBFemeni.
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