On October 30, 2023, Aitana Bonmati received her first Ballon d’Or from Novak Djokovic, the Serbian world tennis star. Almost a year later, on Monday, October 28, the 26-year-old Spaniard once again eclipsed another immense celebrity, this time from the world of cinema, on the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet. The FC Barcelona midfielder received her second consecutive trophy from Natalie Portman, who called her“heroin” women’s soccer.
Before being the center of public attention, Bonmati had almost tiptoed down the red carpet at the theater’s entrance. Arriving at the same time as the large FC Barcelona delegation, the now double winner of the Ballon d’Or had gone somewhat unnoticed, like her teammates, along with the prodigy of the club’s men’s section, Lamine Yamal, winner of the Kopa trophy for best Young player in the world and acclaimed by the public present.
Despite this notable difference in notoriety, Bonmati remains a prominent figure of FC Barcelona today, as does Yamal. “I am very grateful for winning this second Ballon d’Or. But I am part of a team and I play with magnificent players, both at club and national team.”The midfielder wanted to clarify after receiving the Ballon d’Or, which she won against her Barça teammates, the Norwegian Caroline Graham Hansen (2nd) and her Spanish compatriot Salma Paralluelo (3rd).
“I want to thank them because without them I wouldn’t be the player I am today.”He continued who needs to see him move on a field to get a healthy and refreshing reminder of what football is, a team sport. And when we have the opportunity to see his performances from the stadium – such as in Seville on February 28 in the Nations League final or on May 25 in Bilbao in the Champions League final – the impression of a player who embodies a The altruistic vision of football is even more dazzling.
Collective and decisive in key moments
But the 26-year-old Catalan is not just a football romantic. She also transforms her innate sense of the collective into gold, going from a teacher of the game for others to a decisive soccer player in the victories of her teams. Against France, wearing the Spanish national team shirt in the Nations League, it was she who opened the scoring. He rebelled against the Lyonnaises with Barça in the Champions League, when he opened the final to offer the Catalan club a third title in the prestigious competition (six goals in eleven European games and eight in the League, also won by Barcelona).
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