Barcelona star, World Cup winner with Spain, and now Ballon d’Or winner, Aitana Bonmati has conquered football after securing the most prestigious individual prize in the game. Already Bonmati has winners medals from every competition she could win in a Barcelona shirt, and several of them in most cases, after winning the Champions League for a second time this year.
“Who would have thought when I was a girl that I would play in a full Camp Nou? We are a world-renowned club. Thank you family, friends and all the people who have accompanied me and helped me along the way,” she explained after being presented with the award.
In particular, she had words of thanks for her parents.
“You fought to change the norms and the rules in Spain to make this possible.”
After being awarded UEFA Player of the Year, Bonmati reminded the world that women’s players continue to struggle to be heard and respected, while this time around she again noted that for women in the game, they are asked to be much more than just athletes, fighting for equality.
Yet Relevo have also detailed that it was not a simple journey to the top for Bonmati either. Her agent Cristian Martin admits that at the beginning of 2022, just after playing in the Arnold Clark Cup with Spain, she was falling out of love with the game.
“I’m not happy. She confessed to me that there were moments where she wondered if it was worth so much suffering.”
Since, she has gone from her lowest moments, to the very pinnacle of the sport, in less than two years.
“You don’t have to stop her ambition. You just have to channel it and manage it. The only thing you ever have to tell her is to enjoy the good moments more. There have been stages in which I have seen her suffer too much during the process ,and even when success came to her, she still refused to settle for it.”
Bonmati reportedly holds herself to incredible demands, requiring more of herself every day in order to improve. This is not an uncommon story for elite athletes, who often struggle to deal with the inability to reach the perfection they pursue. At the very least, Bonmati will be able to look back with nothing but pride whenever she lets herself off the hook.
