Aitana Bonmati won the prestigious Ballon d’Or for the second time in a row. The Barcelona star and Spanish midfielder has a unique charm that is captivating to watch on the field. Backed by accolades, she remains a force on the pitch, leading both FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team to several key victories. Behind this success lies a young girl who challenged and redefined what it means to be a woman in football. 

Aitana Bonmatí has had a stellar career for FC Barcelona and the Spanish National Team, stepping up as a key player after Alexia Putellas’ injury in 2022. She has been instrumental in Barcelona’s success, helping secure the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2021 and pushing the club’s women’s team to new heights. Internationally, she progressed through Spain’s youth teams before making her senior debut in 2017. Bonmatí’s standout moment came in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she scored three goals, won the Golden Ball, and played a crucial role in Spain’s historic victory. She followed this by helping Spain secure the 2023-24 UEFA Women’s Nations League title, marking a second major international win for both herself and her country.

In the early 2000s, when the football pitch was not seen as a place for girls, a seven-year-old Aitana Bonmatí challenged stereotypes and overcame doubts as she became the only female player for the Club CD Ribes. Born on January 18, 1998, in Sant Pere de Ribes, a town near Barcelona, Even just her name stood as defiance against patriarchy, her mother Rosa Bonmati, chose to put her last name, instead of her father’s, even going so far as to call herself a single mother to change the law. This led to a law being passed later to allow this, which was a true start for a strong woman. 

Her journey was not one of instant success, just being a woman was her biggest adversary. A woman’s voice is her biggest strength but only a few find that voice, yet Aitana did. Her first coach Oscar Gamez guided her in a CD Ribes boys’ team. The coach praised her, as parents of opposing teams would watch in disbelief at this young girl. He later hailed her as someone who was not afraid of dominating even among the young boys. 

 “Everybody dreams about playing at the Camp Nou…. But when I say that everybody dreams about playing there, I’m talking about the boys. You think girls thought about it? Pffffft. No chance. Not this one, anyway. “ she wrote in an article on the player’s tribune. In  2012  she found herself moving on to the renowned La Masia, or FC Barcelona’s youth academy. Though, this gave her a massive opportunity to improve on the pitch, the conditions off the pitch did not match this progress. After training, Bonmati and her Barcelona youth teammates were left to endure cold showers in makeshift changing rooms. Essential gym sessions and tactical video analysis—key components for developing their minds and bodies for the professional game—were nonexistent. While their male counterparts benefited from the renowned La Masia, the female youth players at Barcelona lacked a similar on-site residential facility to support their training. She was one of the key figures in bringing these conditions to light and fighting for change. 

Not just in her club, but even in her national team, every day was a fight for equality. In September 2022, Bonmati was among 15 players who wrote to the Spanish federation, stating they would not play for the national team again until changes were made to a culture and structure that they believed were detrimental to their “emotional well-being” and “health.” In an interview with FIFPRO one of the main things she said was “We still don’t have the equality we deserve. There is still a long way to go and I hope that with our struggle we can also contribute to this going up.”

At just 26 years old, in a male-dominated sport, she stands out not just for her skills but also for her advocacy, and she has become a role model for young girls aspiring to play football. Her impact extends beyond the grand stadiums, reaching deep into the grassroots level, where she makes sure that the dreams of other young girls like her can be achieved.