Aitana Bonmatí facts for kids
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Bonmatí with Barcelona in 2024
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 18 January 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Vilanova i la Geltrú, Catalonia, Spain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.61 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2009 | Ribes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Cubelles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Barcelona | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Barcelona B | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Barcelona | 181 | (61) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Spain U17 | 13 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Spain U19 | 15 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Spain U20 | 9 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017– | Spain | 65 | (26) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Catalonia | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Aitana Bonmatí i Conca (born 18 January 1998) is a professional footballer from Spain. She plays as a midfielder for the Liga F club Barcelona and the Spain national team. She has also played for the Catalonia team.
Aitana is known as one of the best players in women's football. By 2023, she had won almost every major team and individual award a European player could win. Her 2022–23 season was one of the most successful ever for any footballer.
Bonmatí joined Barcelona in 2012 and trained at their famous La Masia academy for six years. She moved up to Barcelona's main team in 2016. She became a key player in the 2018–19 season. With Barcelona, she has won many titles, including five league titles and three UEFA Women's Champions League titles. She was named the best player in the 2021 Champions League final. She also won the Ballon d'Or Féminin and The Best FIFA Women's Player Award in 2023 and 2024.
For Spain, Bonmatí has been very successful with the under-17, under-19, and under-20 teams. She won two UEFA Youth Championships and was a runner-up in two FIFA Youth Women's World Cups. She joined the senior national team in 2017. She played a big role in Spain winning the 2023 World Cup. She was named the best player of that tournament, winning the Golden Ball. In 2024, she won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year, becoming the first footballer to receive this award.
Contents
About Aitana Bonmatí
Early Life and Family
Aitana Bonmatí was born on 18 January 1998 in Vilanova i la Geltrú, a city in Catalonia, Spain. She grew up in Sant Pere de Ribes. Her parents, Vicent Conca and Rosa Bonmatí, are teachers of Catalan language and literature. They taught her to love reading from a young age.
When Aitana was born, Spanish law usually put the father's last name first. Her parents wanted her mother's last name, Bonmatí, to be first. They worked hard to change the law. Aitana was one of the first people in Spain to have her mother's last name as her first. She has said she carries her parents' "fight and resilience" in her blood.
Childhood and Education
Aitana played basketball when she was younger. But at age seven, she started playing football at school and loved it more. Her father noticed she was very competitive and always wanted to improve. Aitana herself said in 2023 that she is "never happy with what I do because I always want more."
She has always been a big fan of FC Barcelona. She used to watch the men's games at a local bar. Aitana played in local boys' teams, which she believes helped her become stronger and play with more intensity.
At 13, she joined Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia. At that time, the girls' academy didn't have dorms, so she had to travel two hours by public transport with her father. Her football heroes were Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. Later, she became good friends with Xavi.
Aitana focuses on her health by eating a mostly plant-based diet and getting enough rest. She has seen a psychologist since she was 13 to help with her mental well-being. She also enjoys traveling to relax. She studied physical activity and sports science at Ramon Llull University, graduating in 2021. She also started a master's degree in sport management.
Aitana's first language is Catalan, and she also speaks Spanish and English. She supports her native language, Catalan. She also works to help the UN Refugee Agency.
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Aitana's Club Career
Youth Teams: Ribes, Cubelles, and Barcelona (2005–2016)
Aitana joined her local team, CD Ribes, when she was seven. She was the only girl among about 400 boys. She started as a defender because she was strong and brave in tackling. Her first coach even compared her to Barcelona's famous defender, Carles Puyol. But she soon moved to midfield to help more with attacking.
She then played for CF Cubelles for two years. She liked their style of play, which focused on good ball control. Even though she was the only girl, she felt playing with boys helped her improve.
At 13, Aitana joined Barcelona's youth teams. She won leagues and cups with the Juvenil-Cadet team. Sometimes, the long travel and effort made her wonder if it was worth it. She didn't even think about being a professional player at first, because there weren't many examples. She planned to go to the University of Oregon in the United States to play football. But in 2015, Barcelona made its women's team professional, and Aitana decided to stay.
After two years, she moved up to the Barcelona B team. In the 2015–16 season, she helped Barcelona B win their league, scoring 14 goals. After this, she was called up to the main Barcelona team.
Playing for Barcelona's Senior Team
First Steps (2015–2018)
Aitana made her first team debut at the end of the 2015–16 season in the Copa de la Reina (Queen's Cup). She played as a "false 9" (a forward who drops deep) and set up a goal. Barcelona lost the final that year.
In the 2016–17 season, she won her first senior title with Barcelona, the Copa Catalunya. She also made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut. She scored two goals in the league and helped Barcelona win the 2017 Copa de la Reina, her first major title with the club.
In the 2017–18 season, she continued to play, mostly in the league. She scored her first Champions League goal against Gintra Universitetas. Barcelona won the 2018 Copa de la Reina, giving Aitana her second major title.
Becoming a Star (2018–2021)
The 2018–19 season was a big breakthrough for Aitana. She started playing regularly for the first team in Spain and in the Champions League. Barcelona reached their first-ever Champions League final. Even though they lost to Lyon, Aitana had a memorable moment when she sprinted to stop an opponent's attack. She finished the season with 12 league goals.
In 2019, Aitana signed a new contract with Barcelona. She was named Catalan women's player of the year. In 2020, she played her 100th game for Barcelona. The team won the Supercopa de España and the league title (which was awarded early due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
In the 2020–21 season, Aitana scored a goal in the Copa de la Reina final and was named the best player of the final. In the Champions League semi-finals, she helped Barcelona reach the final. On 16 May 2021, she scored a goal in the Champions League final against Chelsea, helping Barcelona win 4–0. She was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the final. Her goal was voted the 5th best of the tournament.
Dominating the Field (2021–Present)
Aitana continued to shine in the 2021–22 season. She scored many goals and renewed her contract until 2025. She helped Barcelona win the Supercopa de España and the league with a perfect record. She also scored in a Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid at Camp Nou, in front of over 91,000 fans! Barcelona won the Copa de la Reina that season.
In the 2022–23 season, Barcelona's captain, Alexia Putellas, was injured. Aitana took over her attacking midfield role. She had an amazing season, winning every tournament her teams played in. She was named the best player in all of them! She also won the UEFA Women's Player of the Year Award and the Ballon d'Or Féminin. Many people said it was the most successful season any footballer, male or female, had ever had.
Aitana kept her attacking midfield role in the 2023–24 season. On 4 May 2024, Barcelona won their fifth league title in a row. On 18 May, they won the Copa de la Reina. On 25 May, Aitana scored the first goal in the Champions League final against Lyon, helping Barcelona win 2–0. This secured Barcelona's third Champions League title and their second "continental treble" (winning the league, national cup, and Champions League). Aitana was named the MVP of the final and the tournament.
Aitana's International Career
Youth National Teams
Aitana has played for Spain at every youth level: U-17, U-19, and U-20.
At 15, she played in the 2014 UEFA Women's U-17 Euro. She scored two goals against Germany. Spain reached the final but lost on penalties. Months later, she played in the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, where Spain finished as runner-up.
She was part of the Spain U-17 team that won the 2015 UEFA Women's U-17 Euro. She scored a goal against Germany and helped Spain win the final 5–2 against Switzerland. This was her first international title, and she was named to the Team of the Tournament.
Aitana also helped the Spain U-19 team win the 2017 UEFA Women's Under-19 Euro. She captained the team in the semi-finals and the final, where Spain beat France. This was her second international title.
She was captain again at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Spain did very well, even knocking out the United States in the group stage. In the quarter-finals, she scored two goals against Nigeria. Spain reached the semi-final, but Aitana was sent off with a red card. Spain won that match, but she couldn't play in the final, where Spain lost to Japan.
Senior National Team
In November 2017, Aitana was called up to the Spain senior national team. She made her debut against Austria. In February 2018, she won her first title with the senior team at the 2018 Cyprus Cup.
In May 2019, Aitana was part of Spain's squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Spain reached the knockout rounds for the first time but lost to the United States. Later that year, she scored six goals in the qualifying matches for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.
In September 2022, Aitana was one of "Las 15" players who chose not to play for the national team due to concerns about how the team was run. She said it was a difficult time, but she knew changes were needed. After discussions with the football federation, she returned to the squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
On 21 July 2023, in Spain's first World Cup match, she scored a goal in a 3–0 win. On 5 August, Aitana scored two goals and assisted two others in Spain's 5–1 win over Switzerland, helping them reach the quarter-finals. On 20 August, after Spain won the final against England, Aitana was named the best player of the tournament and received the Golden Ball.
On 28 February 2024, Aitana scored the first goal in Spain's 2–0 victory against France in the final of the 2023-24 UEFA Women's Nations League. This secured her and Spain's second international trophy.
Aitana's Style of Play
The Catalan Football Federation has called Aitana's playing style "pure elegance." They also note that she is very versatile, meaning she can play well in different positions, like in the center of the field or as a winger (on the side). ESPN said she is "technically gifted like few of her contemporaries."
Her former coach, Jordi Ventura, said she is "an intense player, very competitive and perfectly dominates with both legs." Another former coach, Xavi Llorens, said Aitana has "innate elegance in driving the ball" and is "very competitive... versatile, can play in three, four or five positions and does not lower her level."
Pep Guardiola, a famous football coach, said, "Aitana Bonmatí is a football player who has me completely in love with her for the way she plays. I would say she is like the women's Iniesta." Andrés Iniesta was one of Aitana's childhood idols.
Aitana sees her shorter height as an advantage. She has a low center of gravity, which makes it hard for opponents to take the ball from her.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | UWCL | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona | 2015–16 | Primera División | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 16 | 3 | |||
| 2017–18 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 20 | 1 | |||
| 2018–19 | 27 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | – | 37 | 13 | |||
| 2019–20 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 9 | ||
| 2020–21 | 31 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 13 | ||
| 2021–22 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 18 | ||
| 2022–23 | 23 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 19 | ||
| 2023–24 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 19 | ||
| 2024–25 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 189 | 64 | 26 | 10 | 63 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 285 | 102 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 12 | 4 | |
| 2020 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 7 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 14 | 5 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | |
| Total | 65 | 26 | |
- Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bonmatí goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 April 2019 | Swindon, England |  England |
1–2 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 4 October 2019 | A Coruña, Spain |  Azerbaijan |
3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qualifying |
| 3 | 4–0 | |||||
| 4 | 8 October 2019 | Prague, Czech Republic |  Czech Republic |
3–0 | 5–1 | |
| 5 | 23 October 2020 | Seville, Spain | Czech Republic |
3–0 | 4–0 | |
| 6 | 27 November 2020 | Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain |  Moldova |
1–0 | 10–0 | |
| 7 | 5–0 | |||||
| 8 | 10 June 2021 | Alcorcón, Spain | .svg){kind=small} Belgium |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 15 June 2021 |  Denmark |
1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 10 | 3–0 | |||||
| 11 | 25 November 2021 | Seville, Spain |  Faroe Islands |
2–0 | 12–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 6–0 | |||||
| 13 | 30 November 2021 |  Scotland |
3–0 | 8–0 | ||
| 14 | 5–0 | |||||
| 15 | 25 June 2022 | Huelva, Spain | .svg){kind=small} Australia |
1–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 8 July 2022 | Milton Keynes, England |  Finland |
2–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 |
| 17 | 21 July 2023 | Wellington, New Zealand |  Costa Rica |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup |
| 18 | 5 August 2023 | Auckland, New Zealand | .svg){kind=small} Switzerland |
1–0 | 5–1 | |
| 19 | 3–1 | |||||
| 20 | 26 September 2023 | Córdoba, Spain | Switzerland |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League |
| 21 | 3–0 | |||||
| 22 | 23 February 2024 | Seville, Spain |  Netherlands |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2024 UEFA Women's Nations League Finals |
| 23 | 28 February 2024 |  France |
1–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 24 | 12 June 2024 | Chomutov, Czech Republic | Czech Republic |
1–0 | 1–2 | UEFA Women's Euro 2025 qualifying |
| 25 | 16 July 2024 | A Coruña, Spain | Belgium |
1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 26 | 25 July 2024 | Nantes, France |  Japan |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2024 Summer Olympics |
| 27 | 29 November 2024 | Cartagena, Spain |  South Korea |
3–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 28 | 3 December 2024 | Nice, France | France |
1–0 | 4–2 |
Honours and Awards
- Barcelona B
- Segunda División: 2015–16 (Group-III)
- Barcelona
- Primera División: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- UEFA Women's Champions League: 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Copa de la Reina: 2017, 2018, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24
- Supercopa de España: 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Copa Catalunya: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
- Spain U-17
- UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship: 2015; runner-up 2014
- FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: runner-up 2014
- Spain U-19/20
- UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship: 2017; runner-up 2016
- FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup: runner-up 2018
- Spain
- FIFA Women's World Cup: 2023
- UEFA Women's Nations League: 2023–24
Individual Awards
- The Best FIFA Women's Player: 2023, 2024
- Ballon d'Or Féminin: 2023, 2024
- Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: 2024
- Golden Player Woman Award: 2023, 2024
- FIFA Women's World Cup Golden Ball: 2023
- UEFA Women's Player of the Year: 2022–23
- UEFA Women's Champions League Player of the Season: 2022–23, 2023–24
- UEFA Women's Championship Team of the Tournament: 2022
- IFFHS Women's Player of the Year: 2023, 2024
- IFFHS Women's Playmaker of the Year: 2023, 2024
- UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2015
- Copa de la Reina Final MVP: 2019–20
- Supercopa de España Femenina Final MVP: 2022–23
- Catalan Player of the Year: 2019
- UEFA Women's Champions League Final MVP: 2021, 2024
- UEFA Women's Champions League Squad of the Season: 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Premi Barça Jugadors (Barça Players Award): 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
- IFFHS Women's World Team: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- World Soccer Women's World Player of the Year: 2023, 2024
- Globe Soccer Best Women's Player of the Year: 2023
- FIFA FIFPRO Women's World 11: 2023, 2024
- IFFHS Women's UEFA Team: 2021, 2022, 2023
- UEFA Women's Nations League Player of the Finals: 2024
- The Best FIFA Women's 11: 2024
In November 2023, Bonmatí was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.
See also
In Spanish: Aitana Bonmatí para niños
