World Cup winner Aitana Bonmati won the fifth edition of the Ballon d’Or Feminin award in 2023 at a ceremony in Paris. Her biography facts, family life, and background explored.
Aitana Bonmatí, a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Liga F club Barcelona and Spain women’s national team, is considered one of the best players in women’s football.
Bonmati won the 2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin after a historic season for both club and country. She excelled in every arena over the past 12 months.
Before this prestigious recognition, which is one of the many accolades she’s won so far at age 25, she led the Spanish team to win the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Here’s more about her life.
Who is Aitana Bonmati?
Aitana Bonmatí was born on January 18, 1998, in Sant Pere de Ribes, Spain.
At the age of seven, she signed with her first team, CD Ribes, and played for two years with CF Cubelles – in both of which she was the only girl.
At the age of 13, she joined Barcelona to play in their youth teams, where she would take two-hour-long public transport rides with her father to get to practice.
By the time she was 16, she made her debut for the senior team during the 2015/16 season.
Since then, she has worn the Barcelona jersey in 229 games, scoring 78 goals and winning 14 titles: four La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey trophies, three Supercopas de Espana, and two Champions League titles.
She has also made 54 international appearances with Spain, in which she scored 18 goals and won a World Cup.
In March 2022, Aitana released the first part of her biography Totes unides fem força.
The book has sold over 100,000 copies and a third version was released in spring 2023.
Who are Aitana Bonmati’s parents?
Spain and Barcelona player Aitana Bonmati’s parents are Vicent Conca (father) and Rosa Bonmatí Guidonet (Mother).
Aitana has a family heritage that traces back to Catalonia, Spain.
Bopth her mom and dad are reportedly teachers by profession. They taught Catalan philology, which focuses on the structure, relationships, and historical development of language.
When the multiple award-winning footballer was brought into the world, her parents wanted to abandon Spanish naming customs that default to the paternal surname being listed first. For the first two years of her life, she was known as Aitana Bonmatí Guidonet, with her two surnames both being from her mother. In 2000, the law in Spain changed to allow for a reversal of the custom, with Bonmatí then given her maternal surname (Bonmatí) as her first surname, and her paternal surname, Conca, to be her second surname.
Per Tribuna, during her 2023 Ballon d’Or acceptance speech, she gave her parents, who were at the event, a shoutout. “Above all, thanks to my parents, Rosa and Vicent, who are here today as well,” Aitana Bonmati said in her Ballon d’Or speech. “You fought to change the Spanish naming norm, and you succeeded. I carry that fight in my blood.”
Does Aitana Bonmatí have any siblings? Aitana Bonmatí has neither brother nor sister and is the only child of her father and mother. However, unconfirmed sources suggest she has a sister named Sarah.
What trophies has Aitana Bonmati won?
It has been a trophy-laden year for Bonmatí.
She has won the Women’s Champions League title, Player of the Season in Europe’s premier competition, World Cup winner, Golden Ball, and most recently the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year.
She said in her acceptance speech for the UEFA award: “I would like to congratulate all the nominees. It is a privilege for me to be here after the successes of last season, a season I will never forget.
“I would like to share the award with all my colleagues because without them I wouldn’t be here.”
On October 24, 2023, it was announced that Aitana had been shortlisted for the 2023 BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year.
Reflecting on her past year, Aitana Bonmati told the BBC: “I think this year has been amazing for me, first of all winning the Champions League, for a second time with Barcelona, it has been so special.
“Then winning the World Cup, this kind of moment we are going to remember forever. I remember it was a great match for us, we deserved to win. I’m grateful to be part of these great teams. I remember when the referee blew the final whistle, I said ‘we did it! I can’t believe it’! I am lucky to be part of this generation, we are living these kind of moments I never thought I could live.”
In 2023, Bonmati’s success with her club Barcelona, and national team Spain earned her the 2023 Ballon d’Or Feminin prize.
She so nicely on stage at the Theatre du Chatelet after being presented with her Ballon d’Or trophy.
“I’m a little nervous, I haven’t slept for a few days. This is a dream for me. I’m a discreet person, but being here is unique,” she said when describing her emotions upon receiving the accolade. “Very proud because it has been an exceptional year at a sporting level and, although now I am here to collect an individual award, football is a collective sport. So I would like to extend the award to my teammates, staff and workers from Barça and the national team. Without them, I would not be here today.
“Thanks to the teams I have played for: Ribes, Cubelles and, above all, Barça, my club, headed here today by its president, Joan Laporta. Thank you for betting on us when no one believed, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a professional footballer. Who was going to tell me when I was a girl that I would end up playing in a full Camp Nou? We are a leading club in the world.”
How tall is Aitana Bonmati?
Aitana Bonmati has a nice physique which is normal to that of female athletes.
Since she shot to fame in her football career, she has never told her followers she has a health condition.
She stands at a height of 162cm (1.62 m) and weighs around 55kg per her profile on Barcelona’s website.
What is Aitana Bonmati’s net worth?
Aitana Bonmati, one of the outstanding women’s footballers in the world, has made an impressive fortune over the years that rakes in millions of dollars.
She has an estimated current net worth of around $5 million (approximately £4.1 million).
She is one of the highest-paid female Barcelona footballers. An unconfirmed salary in a year amounts to USD 216,915 (approximately £178,000)
She ranks among the richest female football players in the Primera Division alongside teammates Alexia Putellas and Jennifer Hermoso.