Aitana Bonmati, born on January 18, 1998, is a professional footballer from Spain. She is famous for her position as a midfielder for Barcelona in the Liga F and the Spain women's national team. She emerged through Barcelona's youth system and made her mark in the 2018-19 season, contributing to their historic UEFA Women's Champions League final appearance and earning Catalan Player of the Year honors. Since her senior debut in 2017, she has been a key player for the Spain women's national team, earning the Golden Ball award as the best player in the 2023 World Cup.
Aitana Bonmati Conca famed as Aitana Bonmati is a Spanish professional footballer. She plays as a midfielder for Barcelona in the Liga F and the Spain women's national team. She has been with Barcelona since 2012, developing through La Masia for six years. She found success with Spain's U-17, U-19 and U-20 youth categories. She has been a senior team Spain women's national team player since 2017 and featured in Spain's squad at the 2019 World Cup and the 2023 World Cup, where she won the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player.
Born on January 18, 1998, in Sant Pere de Ribes, a village nestled in Catalonia's Garraf region, Aitana Bonmati hails from a close-knit family, consisting of her mother, Rosa Bonmati, and her father, Vicent Conca. Holding a Spanish nationality by birth, she belongs to the Spanish-White ethnicity and currently stands at 25 years old as of 2023. Notably, when she was born in 1998, her parents made a deliberate choice to defy the traditional Spanish naming customs, which typically list the paternal surname first. For the initial two years of her life, she was known as Aitana Bonmati Guidonet, bearing both surnames from her mother.
However, in 2000, a change in Spanish law allowed the reversal of this custom, leading to Bonmatí adopting her maternal surname (Bonmatí) as her first surname and her paternal surname (Conca) as her second. During her childhood, she initially played basketball but transitioned to football at the age of seven, participating in mixed teams with boys, despite facing occasional teasing for her height. She honed her skills at clubs like CD Ribes and CF Cubelles before joining Barcelona at the age of 13, where she endured lengthy two-hour public transport commutes with her father to attend practice sessions. She enrolled at the Johan Cruyff Institute to pursue her master’s degree in Sport Management.
Aitana Bonmati's journey with FC Barcelona began when she joined the Juvenil-Cadet, the club's second-highest developmental team for girls. Her early years at the club were marked by impressive achievements, including winning the league and the Copa Catalunya competitions with Juvenil-Cadet. She gradually moved up the ranks, earning a spot in Barcelona B and making significant contributions by scoring 14 goals during the 2015-16 season, helping the team secure the Segunda Division championship for the first time in the club's history. Her exceptional performance led to her promotion to Barcelona's first team under the management of Xavi Llorens.
Aitana Bonmati's journey with FC Barcelona's women's team began in the 2016-17 season when she made her competitive debut, providing an assist in the Copa de la Reina. She continued to make sporadic appearances, winning her first senior title at the Copa Catalunya. Her UEFA Women's Champions League debut marked the start of her gradual integration into the team, making thirteen league appearances and scoring goals. The following season, she contributed to another Copa de la Reina victory and scored her first Champions League goal.
The 2018-19 season was a breakout year, with Bonmatí playing a key role in the Champions League final despite a loss. She continued to impress in the 2019-20 season, receiving accolades and helping Barcelona win their first league title. The 2020-21 season saw her shine in the Copa de la Reina final and play a pivotal role in Barcelona's Champions League triumph, earning her the Champions League Final MVP title and recognition as one of the tournament's top midfielders.
Aitana has showcased her football talent at various junior levels of the Spain women's national team, including the U-17, U-19, and U-20 squads. Her international journey began at the 2014 UEFA Women's U-17 Euro, where she impressed with goals against Germany and helped Spain reach the final. She then participated in the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. In 2015, she contributed to Spain's victory in the UEFA Women's U-17 Euro. Bonmatí later joined the U-19 team, winning the 2017 UEFA Women's Under-19 Euro and captaining the squad. She also had a stint with the U-20 team, notably in the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Her senior national team debut came in 2017, leading to appearances in the 2018 Cyprus Cup and subsequent involvement in Spain's 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup squad. She continued to make her mark in Euro 2022 qualifying matches and the 2020 SheBelieves Cup.
Aitana Bonmati had a remarkable 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring four goals in two matches against Faroe Islands and Scotland. Despite briefly withdrawing from international selection in September 2022, she returned to the tournament squad and made a significant impact in the World Cup. She opened the tournament with a goal against Costa Rica and excelled in Spain's 5-1 victory over Switzerland, contributing two goals and two assists. In a thrilling final, Spain defeated England 1-0, and Bonmatí was recognized as the tournament's best player, receiving the prestigious Golden Ball award during the post-tournament awards ceremony.
Aitana Bonmati's exceptional 2022-23 season, which saw her tally an impressive 19 goals and 21 assists, speaks volumes about her prowess. As a key player for Barcelona, she clinched victories in Liga F, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Women's Champions League, securing a remarkable treble for her team. Her contributions to the Women's Champions League were unmatched, making her a standout performer in Europe. However, it was on the grandest stage of all, the Women's World Cup, where Bonmati truly shone, earning the coveted Golden Ball as Spain made history by becoming world champions for the first time. With her outstanding performances in Australia and New Zealand, there's little doubt that Bonmati currently reigns as the best women's player on the planet, making her a top contender for this year's Ballon d'Or.
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Barcelona
Spain U-17
Spain U-19
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Individual
Aitana Bonmati, currently playing for Liga F club Barcelona, has an estimated net worth of $5 million as of 2023, with an annual salary exceeding $500,000 attributed to her unwavering dedication and hard work in the footballing realm. Her primary income stems from her football career, complemented by substantial earnings from lucrative endorsement deals, including her partnership with Adidas, where she promotes their products on her Instagram account, further bolstering her financial portfolio. This substantial wealth affords her a lavish lifestyle, encompassing luxurious mansions, extravagant vacations, gourmet dining, and high-end automobiles. Given her impactful contributions to her club and the football world, it's foreseeable that her income will continue to ascend in the future.
Aitana Bonmati is a charismatic footballer with a height of 1.62 meters and a weight of 51 kilograms, complemented by her striking dark brown eyes and hair. She prioritizes a well-rounded approach to nutrition for a healthy lifestyle and boasts an athletic physique. Her commitment to fitness is evident as she regularly frequents the gym to ensure her body remains in peak condition. A dedicated athlete, she diligently adheres to a consistent workout regimen to bolster her stamina and overall fitness levels.
Aitana Bonmati embarked on her football journey with Barcelona at the tender age of 13 in 2012 when she joined the club's youth system. This pivotal decision marked the beginning of her remarkable trajectory in the world of football, setting the stage for her impressive rise through the ranks and her eventual emergence as a prominent figure in the sport.
Bonmati's football aspirations were deeply inspired by two legendary figures of the sport, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. As she pursued her own path in football, she looked up to these iconic players, drawing inspiration from their exceptional skills, vision, and dedication on the pitch. Their influence undoubtedly played a role in shaping her journey as a footballer, guiding her towards excellence and success in the sport she passionately embraced.
In anticipation of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA characterized Aitana Bonmati in her player profile as a "technically gifted" athlete possessing "superb vision and plenty of character." Additionally, FIFA highlighted her combative nature when necessary, coupled with a keen eye for scoring goals. This description underscored her multifaceted abilities and showcased her as a well-rounded and talented player, ready to make a significant impact on the global stage of women's football.
Aitana Bonmati's versatility shines as she adeptly adapts to various positions on the field. She has two primary options: she can hold her position in the right halfspace, acting as a valuable outlet and exploiting the gaps between opposing defenders, or she can drift toward the ball side, offering a secondary passing option. Furthermore, Aitana demonstrates her tactical intelligence by dropping deeper to secure possession and resisting pressing when the team opts for right-sided advancements, often incorporating dynamic runs that involve switching play to the left.
Her ability to stay higher in the right halfspace enables her to receive the ball between the lines, dazzling opponents with her nimble footwork, or she can coordinate with teammates like right-back Marta Torrejón and Caroline Graham Hansen to maintain strategic width. Aitana's exceptional spatial awareness also allows her to execute deceptive movements, contributing to her adaptability on the pitch.
Aitana faced legal restrictions on the use of her surname, as Spanish naming conventions dictated that she could only carry her paternal surname. For the first two years of her life, she was registered as Aitana Bonmat Guidonet, incorporating both her maternal surnames, in a deliberate effort by her parents to bypass this convention.
Remarkably, at the turn of the millennium, she became one of the pioneering individuals in Spain to have her mother's surname precede her father's. Subsequently, she has been officially recognized as Aitana Bonmat Conca, a distinctive departure from the traditional naming customs in Spain.