Aitana Bonmatí: from leader of the 'rebels' to star in the debut of the national team

Aitana Bonmatí was a surprise addition to Jorge Vilda's list for the World Cup. It was not known if the coach would finally have her after what happened with the 15 'rebels', among which was the midfielder. The players involved sent a letter to the RFEF asking for the coach's departure, in September last year, and announced their departure from the national team if this condition was not met. However, several months later, Bonmatí and two other colleagues were summoned again after sending an email in which they made themselves available to the team.. Now the midfielder is one of the key figures in the team.

This Friday she received the award for the best player of the match after the victory of Spain against Costa Rica. An award that is not new for her, but that surely has made her excited after having been practically all year out of the national team. The Barcelona player herself commented after the game that “it has been a difficult year for her, but we have left everything behind for days. We have been preparing for many days and we are focused on how important the World Cup is. It is true that one is happy, after everything that has happened this year, to see himself in the eleven and to be able to play a World Cup that he did not know if he was going to play almost until the last moment.

Her return to the national team, after the controversy broke out, occurred after the player relaxed her attitude, at the end of the year, and after sending the famous email in which she made herself available to the team to be called up again. Bonmatí herself acknowledged during the group meeting that the positions “have come closer and, well, I think we are all going in the same direction and we are clear about where we want to take Spanish women's football.”

always wanted to be a footballer

Aitana was always clear that she wanted to dedicate herself to football. He started at school and was later followed by a stage at CF Cubelles. That was where he caught the attention of the FC Barcelona scouts. In a children's tournament held in Tàrrega they put her to the test and ended up signing for the lower categories of the Catalan club.

In the quarry he won all the national titles and in 2015 he became part of Barça B, with which he won the League. Her good performance made Xavi Llorens, the first team coach, pay attention to her the following season. His consecration came in the 2020/2021 campaign, when he won his first Champions League and was the MVP of the final.

Options to be Ballon d'Or

This year she has won the European title again and was named MVP of the competition. That places her as a clear candidate to win the Ballon d'Or. It was in fifth place in the last edition. Although this award doesn't matter too much to her. «I don't focus on what I can achieve individually but on the team. I work to contribute what I can to the group with my best performance, just as each player focuses on hers and on giving her maximum every day,” she acknowledged.. But the reality is that to expand his options he needed to go to the World Cup, and for that he had to return to the national team.. In addition, this decision, according to sources close to her, would have been taken also taking into account the advice of some of her sponsors, who have urged her not to miss the opportunity to play a World Cup.

And it seems that Bonmatí was right with his determination. It has already been verified in this first game, in which he scored a great goal that made it 2-0 on the scoreboard. He is a fundamental piece for the team and even more in his position. “The midfield, in a team like ours, is important, but I wouldn't stay with just this line because giving speed to all the passes, knowing the action that you are going to do later, is important.. We all understand the same football,” he said.

The Catalan wants more, and it is that her good performance and the result obtained is not enough for her. «We have to improve the definition, look for the best passing line when we are in the baseline. We have arrived many times and we have scored few goals, but I would stay with the positive thing that is the 3-0 victory, “he stressed.

The midfielder also stressed that “it was a game to get sensations, to settle in a World Cup, to win and we have done it. We had in mind that goals count, and we wanted to score as many as possible. The first game costs, we have not been very fine in front of goal. I think it was very important to start with a victory in a World Cup, the first games are always difficult, everyone is full of energy”, added the player.

Regarding the upcoming matches, in which Spain will face Zambia and Japan, Aitana commented that “we have to look at the mistakes and improve because there are two very complicated games ahead.”