Though Spain disappointed at Paris 2024, what the Barca midfielder did throughout the 2023-24 season made her the front-runner for another Golden Ball
Many believed that the summer of 2024 would, once again, belong to Spain's women's national team. After lifting the Women's World Cup last year, and after so many of their players had just starred in Barcelona's historic quadruple-winning campaign, La Roja were the overwhelming favourites to win Olympic gold in Paris. And yet, they fell short. Instead, this past summer belonged to the United States women's national team.
Despite Emma Hayes taking over just a few weeks before the start of the Games, and the U.S. being less than 12 months removed from its worst-ever Women's World Cup, the former Chelsea boss managed to guide her new team to Olympic gold. The 'triple espresso' attack of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman shone, earning all three of them Ballon d'Or nominations, while Lindsey Horan built on an excellent campaign with Lyon and Naomi Girma further underlined her world-class qualities.
As summer turns into fall, and the awards season begins, the impact of that golden summer is already evident – and it will continue to be. This year's list of Ballon d'Or Feminin nominees featured more Americans than ever before, with Swanson, Smith, Rodman, Horan and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher all recognised by . However, their Olympic heroics could not stop Aitana Bonmati, winner of the award in 2023, from taking centre stage once more. That's because while the summer belonged to the United States, the year again belonged to Barcelona's midfield maestro.
Getty ImagesGreat expectations
Bonmati certainly set herself a high bar after the 2022-23 season. Racking up 40 goal involvements in all competitions, and the most of any player in the Women's Champions League, the midfielder starred as Barca won the treble.
She wasn’t done there, either. Despite the turmoil surrounding Spain, she then helped power them to an unlikely World Cup triumph, sprinkling stardust on every single game – not least the final. The Ballon d’Or was hers.
How do you back a year like that up? With a year like the one Bonmati has just had.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesPlenty of success
Barcelona had never done the quadruple on the women’s side – winning the league, the Spanish Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and, of course, the Champions League. They have now. Bonmati was, again, at the heart of everything, posting 45 goal involvements this time around.
Of course, things didn’t quite go to plan for Spain at the Olympics, where defensive frailties, coach Montse Tome’s misuse of Alexia Putellas and the absence of some key names, still in protest against the federation, came under the microscope.
But let’s not disregard their UEFA Women’s Nations League triumph in February and the role Bonmati played as Spain firmly asserted themselves as Europe’s best side. The manner in which they out-classed France in the final of that competition, which Bonmati opened the scoring in, was remarkable, with Les Bleues unable to lay a glove on their opponents.
Getty ImagesTurning up in the big moments
That’s one of several big games that can be pointed to as evidence of Bonmati deserving to pick up a second successive Ballon d’Or, with many of them coming in the Champions League. Once again, no player had more goal involvements in the competition than the 26-year-old, whose importance ramped up as games became more and more significant.
After scoring three goals and assisting three more in six group-stage matches, Bonmati assisted the winning goal in the first leg of the quarter-final meeting with Brann and then scored and assisted in a 3-1 second-leg victory.
In the semi-finals, after Barcelona had suffered a shock 1-0 loss at home to Chelsea and thus went to Stamford Bridge needing to win, she levelled the scores on aggregate with a fantastic first-half strike and then won the penalty that sent the Catalans to the final. Unsurprisingly, she got the Player of the Match award.
Then, the midfielder arguably saved her very best until last. In the final, as Barca took on eight-time winners Lyon, a side they had never beaten and had twice lost to at this stage, Bonmati ran the show. Her goal set the reigning champions on their way to a second-successive European triumph for the first time, before Putellas put the icing on the cake in stoppage-time.
Getty ImagesYear to remember
Even at that moment, with the Olympics still to come, it felt like Bonmati had secured this second Ballon d’Or – and that’s not just because of Champions League games. There were also big domestic performances, like the two-goal display in the Spanish Super Cup final and a wonderful match against Real Madrid in March, where a goal and an assist from their midfield maestro helped Barca out-class their bitter rivals in a 3-0 win.
These shows of individual brilliance were peppered throughout 2023-24, with Bonmati never going more than two games without a goal or an assist for Barca across the entire season. That consistency is only achievable for truly great footballers, of which she is certainly one.
It was translated onto the international stage again, too. Spain’s erratic defending was on show throughout their Nations League campaign, but the excellence of attack-minded players like Mariona Caldentey, Jennifer Hermoso, Salma Paralluelo, Putellas and Bonmati helped ensure it wasn’t as costly. Again, when the biggest games came, the latter stepped it up a notch, on the scoresheet in the semi-finals and the final as Spain came out on top and lifted another trophy.
