*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:54, 14 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:59, 28 February 2024 (UTC)
Bonmatí has been with Barcelona since 2012, developing through
La Masia for six years. She was promoted to Barcelona's first team ahead of the
2016–17 season, and made off-the-bench appearances for the club until her break-out year in the
2018–19 season. In 2019, she started the first
UEFA Women's Champions League final of Barcelona's history, and later in the year was voted Catalan Player of the Year for the first time.
Throughout the 2020–21 season, Bonmatí was essential to Barcelona's
continental treble-winning campaign. She had one of the most noteworthy performances of her career in the
2021 UEFA Women's Champions League final, scoring Barcelona's third goal and being named MVP of the final. In the 2022–23 season, she improved her goalscoring prowess, scoring 19 times in all competitions and leading her team to another domestic double and Champions League in what is the most-decorated season of any individual footballer.
Her parents were involved in the movement to abandon
Spanish naming customs (which had the paternal surname being listed first), but could not legally do so when Bonmatí was born.[11][14] Her mother initially registered as a single parent and for the first two years of her life she was known as Aitana Bonmatí Guidonet. During this time her parents campaigned and took a case to parliament to change Bonmatí's name,[11][15] seeking advice from
Imma Mayol [
ca] and legal experts to form a proposal to change the legislation.[6] In May 1999, when Spain was on the verge of changing the law, Rosa Bonmatí appeared on Bon dia, Catalunya to present the argument in favour.[11][14] The law was changed in late 1999 and ratified in early 2000; Bonmatí was one of the first people in Spain to have her maternal surname as her first surname, and her paternal surname (Conca) as her second surname.[11][12][16] In 2023, Bonmatí honoured her parents, saying: "You fought for change and you succeeded, I carry that fight and resilience in my blood."[17]
Bonmatí played basketball in her childhood, but began playing football on the playground at school and decided she preferred this at the age of seven.[22][23] Her father noted her to be competitive and self-critical since she was a young child, and worried that she did not enjoy playing due to being too focused on achieving more; Bonmatí said in 2023 that she is "never happy with what I do because I always want more."[23] She is a lifelong fan of
FC Barcelona, and would watch the men's games at a local bar in Ribes in her childhood.[24] After playing in local boys' teams,[12] Bonmatí joined
Barcelona's
youth section at the age of 13, to play in their girls' teams.[25] 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.[26][27][6] Her idols growing up were Barcelona midfielders
Xavi and
Andrés Iniesta;[28] by 2023, she had a close friendship with Xavi, who wrote that he was proud she had inherited the Barça DNA.[29]
She has a
flexitarian plant-based diet and puts a lot of focus on getting good rest.[23] Since she was 13 she has visited a psychologist to "be good with [herself]", and advocates for taking care of mental health.[13] Bonmatí also enjoys travelling as a means of disconnecting, and cites a trip to Vietnam as having had a profound effect.[24] She studied
physical activity and
sports science at
Ramon Llull University, graduating in 2021,[30][31] and started a master's degree in
sport management at the
Johan Cruyff Institute in September 2022.[32]
Bonmatí joined the local CD Ribes team when she was seven, playing there for four years and improving greatly.[12] Within the club there were around 400 boys, and Bonmatí was the only girl. She started out as a defender, due to her physicality and fearlessness in tackling, as well as her "ability to steal the ball and initiate attacks [that] showcased her strength on the pitch"; her first coach compared her to legendary Barcelona
centre-backCarles Puyol but still moved her into the midfield to have more influence on attacking play.[6] She then changed club and played for two years at CF Cubelles, as she liked their style of play; what she liked in football was playing on the ball and taking good touches, something she was able to do at Cubelles. The only girl in her youth teams,[12] she was teased by the boys for her short stature.[35] She appreciated playing in boys' teams, though, believing this helped improve her strength and intensity.[36]
Barcelona, 2012–16
Joining Barcelona as a teenager, Bonmatí started in their
Juvenil-Cadet ranks, then the second-highest girls' development team. In 2013, with Juvenil-Cadet, Bonmatí won the respective league and Copa Catalunya competitions.[37] The next season, she again won the league with Juvenil-Cadet, the team being undefeated.[38] They lost the final of the Copa Catalunya on penalties; Bonmatí converted her penalty in their 2–4 shootout loss to
Sant Gabriel.[39] Despite her success, Bonmatí "wondered if it was worth all the effort" at times, considering the exhausting travel and mental toll.[6] She also did not initially aspire to play football professionally, due to lack of any examples, even at Barcelona. While in the youth sections, Bonmatí heard about the professionalisation of
women's football in the United States and made plans to go there to have a career, intending to join the
University of Oregon programme. In 2015, Barcelona made its women's team professional, and Bonmatí decided to stay.[24]
Bonmatí moved up to become a
Barcelona B player after two years at the club. During her time with the B team, she sparingly made appearances for the first team in preseason. Throughout the
2015–16 season, Bonmatí played an important part in winning the championship of
Segunda Division, Group III for the first time in the club's history, scoring fourteen goals.[40][41] At the end of the season she was brought into the first team by manager
Xavi Llorens.[42]
Barcelona
2015–16
Bonmatí made her first team competitive debut at the end of the
2015–16 season during the quarter-finals of the
2016 Copa de la Reina against
Real Sociedad, playing as a
false 9 and providing an assist to
Bárbara Latorre.[43][27] She continued to feature in the tournament as a substitute, coming on late in the match during a 3–0 semi-final win against
Levante.[44] Bonmatí featured in the final against
Atletico Madrid, subbing on for
Gemma Gili in a match that finished a 2–3 loss for Barcelona.[45]
2016–17
At the start of the
2016–17 season she played in both matches of the
Copa Catalunya, also scoring in both. The final against
Espanyol ended with a 6–0 win for Bonmatí's first senior title with the club.[46][47] She made her
UEFA Women's Champions League debut in the Round of 32 against
FK Minsk.[48] Bonmatí was used sparingly her first season with the senior team, making thirteen league appearances with three starts and scoring two goals – a brace against
Oiartzun.[49] She scored Barcelona's fourth goal in the final of the
2017 Copa de la Reina, a 4–1 win over Atlético Madrid.[50]
2017–18
In the 2017–18 season, Bonmatí continued to sparingly make appearances, mostly in the
league. Her only goal of the season was also her first ever Champions League goal in a Round of 16 match against
Lithuanian club
Gintra Universitetas.[51][52] She came on for
Toni Duggan in the
2018 Copa de la Reina final that went into extra-time and ended with a Barcelona win, her second major title with the club.[53]
2018–19
The 2018–19 season was a break-out season for Bonmatí as she consistently made first team appearances in Spain. She also made regular Champions League appearances, scoring once against
Glasgow City in the Round of 16.[54] Barcelona made it to their first ever
Champions League final where she started the match, and despite a 4–1 loss to
Lyon, she had a moment that went viral when she outran
Shanice van de Sanden down the right-wing to prevent a counter-attack.[35] Bonmatí ended her season with twelve league goals and played all but 5 matches in all competitions.
2019–20
Despite an approach from
Bayern Munich, Bonmatí signed a new contract with Barcelona in the summer of 2019 that would keep her at the club until 2022.[55][56] For her performances with Barcelona and
Spain in the
previous season, she won Catalan women's player of the year with 68% of the vote.[57]
In 2020, she made her 100th appearance for Barcelona, coming on as a substitute against
Tacón.[58] Following a brief period of injury, she was substituted on in both matches of the
Supercopa de España, including the final that Barcelona won 10–1 over
Real Sociedad.[59] Months later, following a decision from the
RFEF to suspend the
2019–20 league season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, Barcelona were given the title, making it Bonmatí's first league title with the club as a senior player.
2020–21
In the middle of the 2020–21 season, Bonmatí played the final of the
2019–20 Copa de la Reina against
Logroño, postponed a year later than normal due to
COVID-19 concerns. She scored Barcelona's second goal of the final from a shot just inside the area, and earned the title of Copa de la Reina Final MVP for her performance.[60]
In the semi-finals of
that season's Champions League, Bonmatí provided an assist to
Jenni Hermoso that brought Barcelona to a 1–1 draw in the first leg against
Paris Saint-Germain. Barcelona won the second leg against PSG 2–1, where she started and was subbed out in the 79th minute for
Asisat Oshoala.[61] On 16 May 2021, she started her second
Champions League final, this time against
Chelsea. She scored off a ball from
Alexia Putellas by dribbling past
Jess Carter, giving Barcelona a 3–0 lead in the 21st minute.[62] Barcelona finished the match as champions with a resounding 4–0 win, and Bonmatí's performance in the match earned her Champions League final MVP.[63] Her goal was also voted 5th-best of the tournament, and she was included in the UWCL Squad of the Season for the first time.[64][65] Later in the year, Bonmatí was listed as a nominee to the
UEFA Women's Champions League Midfielder of the Season award.[66]
Following the season, Bonmatí was in high demand and received transfer offers from teams in England, France, and Germany. In June 2021, Lyon reportedly offered to quadruple Bonmatí's salary along with paying Barcelona a
€500,000 transfer fee – double the
world record at the time – for her; though Barcelona was in a period of economic uncertainty, neither the club nor Bonmatí wanted her to move.[67]
2021–22
On 29 September 2021, Bonmatí scored her first goal of the
2021–22 season as she scored the fourth goal in Barcelona's 8–0 league victory against
Villarreal. On 17 October, she scored a brace against
Sporting Huelva in a 5–0 win. She scored her first
UWCL goal of the season as she scored against
1899 Hoffenheim in a 5–0 victory. On 31 December, Bonmatí renewed her contract with Barcelona until June 2025.[68]
On 8 January 2022, she suffered an injury to her right leg in the 30th minute in a match against
Granadilla Tenerife and was ruled out for around a month. On 23 January, Barcelona won the
Supercopa de España while she was sidelined with injury. On 6 February, she marked her return from injury by scoring the final goal in a 7–0 thrashing of
Eibar. On 30 March, she scored the second equalizing goal in a 5–2 (8–3 aggregate) win against
Real Madrid in the 2nd leg of the UWCL quarter-final, which was played at
Camp Nou in front of 91,553 spectators. A few weeks later, on 22 April, at the same ground in front of a record 91,648 spectators, she opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 3rd minute in a 5–1 victory against
Wolfsburg in the UWCL semi-final 1st leg. On 8 May, she scored a hat-trick in a 6–1 win over
Rayo Vallecano. A week later, she scored the second goal in a 2–1 win over Atlético Madrid in the final league match of the season, before being sent off in the final minutes of the game, as her team won the league with a perfect record. On 21 May, she started in the UWCL final as Barcelona lost 1–3 to Lyon. On 25 May, she scored the second goal in a 4–0 victory over Real Madrid in the
Copa de la Reina. Four days later, she played in the Copa de la Reina final as Barcelona won 6–1 against Sporting Huelva to win the title.
2022–23
Ahead of the
2022–23 season, Putellas
ruptured her ACL, leading to Bonmatí taking Putellas' position on the pitch for Barcelona. In the attacking midfield role,[69][70] Bonmatí had what Nike summarised as "The best season. Of any footballer. Ever."[71] She won every tournament that her teams could compete in, being named the player of the tournament in all of them with such an accolade, and was recognised with the
UEFA Women's Player of the Year Award and the
Ballon d'Or Féminin for the season.[69][72][70] No player, male or female, had a more decorated season before.[73]
2023–24
Bonmatí retained the attacking midfield role in the
2023–24 season, with captain Alexia Putellas returning but playing more as a striker to best utilise the strengths of the whole team.[70]
On 4 May 2024, Bonmatí played the entire match as Barcelona won 4–1 against Granada to lift their fifth consecutive league title.[74] On 18 May, Barcelona won 8–0 against Real Sociedad to win the Copa de la Reina. On 25 May, Bonmatí opened the scoring for Barcelona in a 2–0 victory over Lyon in the final to secure her third (and second consecutive)
UEFA Women's Champions League title. In doing so, she also clinched her second continental treble and first continetal quadruple.
At 15 years old, Bonmatí was called up as part of
Spain's squad for the
2014 UEFA Women's U-17 Euro. She scored her first U-17 national team goals with a brace against
Germany in a 4–0 group stage win, helping Spain finish first in Group B.[75] From there, Spain advanced past the semi-finals after a 2–1 win against
England. Bonmatí reached the final where she started the match, but ultimately finished runner-up in the tournament as Spain lost to Germany on penalties. She registered 398 total minutes in the tournament.[25][76]
Months later, she participated in the
2014 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup where she mostly had a substitute role.[77] In the semi-final, Bonmatí was a halftime substitute against
Italy, where Spain advanced after defeating them 2–0.[78] Bonmatí was substituted on in the 53rd minute of the final, where Spain lost 0–2 to
Japan.[79]
Additionally, she was a member of the
Spain U-17 squad that won the
2015 UEFA Women's U-17 Euro. In the group stage, she registered her first and only goal of the tournament in a 4–0 win against
Germany.[80] Spain finished first in Group A where they then faced
France in the semi-final. She started and played through extra time where the match ended up going to penalties. She converted her penalty to end the shootout 4–3 and advance to the final against
Switzerland.[81] With a 5–2 win in the final, Bonmatí earned her first international title and was subsequently named to the Team of the Tournament for her standout performances throughout the competition.[82][83]
Bonmatí was part of the
Spain U-19 team that won the
2017 UEFA Women's Under-19 Euro.[84][85] As part of a suspension, she was forced to sit out of the first three group stage matches after receiving a straight red card in a qualifying match versus
Belgium.[86] She made her first tournament appearance as captain in the semi-finals against
Netherlands. Spain advanced to the final against
France with a 3–2 win. Bonmatí started and captained the team to a victory against France, snapping Spain's run of three consecutive finals defeats at the U-19 Euro.[87] With their finish, she earned her second international title as Spain were one of the three
UEFA teams to qualify for the
2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.
Bonmatí was again named team captain at the
2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[88] In Group C, Spain registered two wins against
Japan and
Paraguay. They finished first in the group by holding the
United States to a draw, knocking them out of the tournament in the group stage for the first time. Bonmatí was named the "Dare To Shine" player of the match.[89] In the quarter-finals, she scored twice against
Nigeria, but the second goal was not given despite TV replays showing it crossing the goal-line.[90][91] Spain won that match 2–1 and reached the semi-final of the tournament against
France. Bonmatí started the match but was sent off with a second yellow card after a challenge on France's
Selma Bacha- the only red card in the entire tournament.[92] Up until her ejection, she had played every minute of the tournament.[93] Spain ended up winning the match, but Bonmatí was suspended for the final where Spain lost 1–3 to Japan.[94]
Bonmatí's first senior international tournament experience came in February 2018 when she was called up to participate in the
2018 Cyprus Cup.[97] She made limited appearances throughout the tournament, but with Spain's win in the first-place match against
Italy, she earned her first title with Spain's senior team.[98]
Her first national team goal came a year and a half after her debut in April 2019 during a
friendly match against
England.
In May 2019, Bonmatí was named to the Spain's
2019 FIFA Women's World Cup squad. She featured in two group stage matches – a win against
South Africa and a loss against
Germany.[99][100] Spain finished second in Group A and reached the knockout rounds of a Women's World Cup for the first time in their history. They were defeated 1–2 in the Round of 16 by eventual tournament winners
United States. Bonmatí finished the tournament with 58 minutes.
Bonmatí was named in Spain's squad for the
2020 SheBelieves Cup that was held in March 2020. She played in two of the three matches as Spain finished second behind hosts United States.[103]
She was among Las 15, a group of players who made themselves unavailable for international selection in September 2022 due to their dissatisfaction with the organisation of the team.[106][107] She described the strike as difficult, due to losing money and sponsors and getting "killed in the press", but knew that things had to change. During the 2022–23 season, Bonmatí had meetings with the federation where she received acknowledgement of the grievances and promises for change, leading to her return to the squad ahead of the
2023 World Cup.[24] She was one of three of the fifteen striking players who were recalled for the World Cup.[106][107]
In Spain's opening match of the World Cup, she scored their second goal in a 3–0 win over
Costa Rica.[108] Bonmatí scored twice and assisted twice in Spain's 5–1 rout over
Switzerland to reach the quarter-finals.[109] After Spain's
1–0 win over England in the final, Bonmatí was named the tournament's best player, receiving the
Golden Ball during the end-of-tournament awards.[110]
Style of play
FCF has described Bonmatí as "pure elegance" and has noted her versatility as a player, able to adapt to different positions, play centrally, as a
midfielder or as a
winger.[57]ESPN said that she is "technically gifted like few of her contemporaries."[17]
After winning her first Catalan Player of the Year award, Jordi Ventura, the coach who signed her to Barcelona's Cadet team, emphasised that she is "an intense player, very competitive and perfectly dominates with both legs." In the same article, former FCB Femeni coach
Xavi Llorens describes Bonmatí as having "innate elegance in driving the ball" and being "very competitive... versatile, can play in three, four or five positions and does not lower her level."[57]
Ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, FIFA described her in her player profile as "technically gifted" with "superb vision with plenty of character" and "combative when required with an eye for goal."[111]
Bonmatí sees her short stature as an advantage due to her low center of gravity that makes it hard for opponents to take her off the ball.[101]
Pep Guardiola 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."[112]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 25 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
In November 2023, Bonmati was named to the BBC's
100 Women list.[144]
Notes
^Catalan: in isolation, Bonmatí is pronounced [bɔmməˈti]. Spanish:[ajˈtanaβommaˈti]; in isolation, Bonmatí is pronounced [bommaˈti]. The government of Bonmatí's hometown, and other Catalan sources, write her full name in Catalan as Aitana Bonmatí i Conca.[2][3]