Who is Aitana Bonmatí, first female footballer to win three consecutive Ballon d'Or trophies?
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Who is Aitana Bonmatí, first female footballer to win three consecutive Ballon d'Or trophies?")
Who is Aitana Bonmatí, first female footballer to win three consecutive Ballon d'Or trophies? Photograph: (Others)
A lifelong fan of Barcelona, Aitana Bonmatí grew up supporting FC Barcelona and idolised Xavi Hernandez. She won the 2025 Ballon d'Or for a third consecutive time on Monday (Sep 23).
Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí on Monday (Sep 23) scripted history by becoming the first female star to win three consecutive Ballon d’Or trophies. The win saw Bonmatí join the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristinao Ronaldo and other greats to win multiple Ballon d’Or titles having taken home the coveted trophy. So who is Bonmatí and why is she making headlines after her latest triumph?
Who is Aitana Bonmatí?
Born on 18 Jan 1998 in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Catalonia in Spain, Bonmatí comes from a non-sporting family. Both her parents were teachers and saw her love for sports in the early days of her school. Initially starting her love with sports on basketball court, Bonmatí quickly switched to football at the age of seven.
Her skills and talent did not go unnoticed while her father believed that she did not enjoy playing due to being too focused on achieving more. Her early days were full of challenges after being enrolled to Barcelona’s youth team. After playing in local boys' teams, Bonmatí joined Barcelona's youth section at the age of 13, to play in their girls' teams. At the time, the girls' youth section did not have an on-site residential facility, and she had to travel on public transport (accompanied by her father) for the two-hour journey, as her father does not drive and her mother has fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
Rise to stardom
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A life-long fan of Barcelona, Bonmatí grew up supporting FC Barcelona and idolised Xavi Hernandez. Having played for the reserve side, she made her debut for Barcelona first team in 2016 Copa de la Reina against Real Sociedad, her was a natural striker but was employed as false 9. Eversince she would become a permanent feature into the first team before making the national team debut in November 2017 at the age of 19, having played in the side’s 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers. Before that she played for the junior side at U-17, U-19 and U-20 level.
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Breakthrough year
In 2023, Bonmatí and her Spanish side beat England in the final of the Women’s FIFA World Cup as added another major feather in her hat. The World Cup win propelled Bonmatí to win her first Ballon d’Or helping both Spain and Barcelona reach new heights. Bonmatíbeat the likes of Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo and Alexia Putellas, who finished fourth to win the prestigious prize. The 2024-25 season was once again a successful one for Barça Femeni as they won the Liga F, the Copa de la Reina, and the Spanish Super Copa, with Aitana at the centre of the success.
