Women's Soccer Player of the Year Candidate Aitana Bonmati

Years Old: 27 Position: Midfielder Clubs: Barcelona & Spain

It has been quite the season for Aitana Bonmati. She achieved becoming the pioneering athlete to claim three women's Ballons d'Or, secured a domestic treble and advanced to the Euro 2025 final.

Her pedigree is evident, with an impressive trophy haul throughout her career as well. She has won seven league titles, three European crowns, nine Copas de la Reina and five Spanish Super Cups.

While Barcelona were beaten by Arsenal in the Champions League final, and her remarkable return from a bout of viral meningitis shortly before the start of the Euros was not enough to guide Spain to the trophy, it was an impressive campaign.

The inventive playmaker netted the goal that beat Germany in the Euros semi-final as Spain made history by advancing to the final for the first time.

She was also selected as the Champions League's player of the season, recording nine goal contributions in her 11 appearances and netting in their 4-1 semi-final second-leg win at Chelsea.

Tino Herrero: "I believe that Aitana does not have a ceiling at the moment. She is a very competitive girl, and the truth is that she is very youthful with everything she has achieved. I believe that the ceiling will be set by her if she persists to be like this, so competitive, taking care of herself.

"There are times when you see her running at 11pm at night, so that not too many people can see her. She is exercising here in the village. If she keeps going like that, I think there's no limit to it. I feel that she could become like Lionel Messi with eight Ballons d'Or. She will be able to reach his level."

Bonmati on what it means to play for Barcelona: "It's both a point of honor and a responsibility. We're not only judged by our results but also by how we play. Most teams would be satisfied just winning, but we're required - and we expect ourselves - to win and play well. That's a big responsibility."

Manchester City men's manager: "Aitana Bonmati is a football player who has me totally in love with her for the way she plays. I would say she is like the women's Iniesta."

The owner of a bar devoted to Bonmati in her home town: "Mostly for being as modest as she is. Her style of play. And she knows how to work as a unit and as a team. Often some of these elite players are more self-focused and they always want to be them, them and them. No, she shares the awards and has proven that in all the galas she went to, acknowledging her team as the engine to herself. And, it is because of her way of being, her game and her power and her quick reaction mindset."

Although Bonmati generated the most chances in Liga F last season, 10 players provided more assists than her six, including her Barcelona teammates who provided a league-high 11 and 10 assists respectively.

But where Bonmati excelled more than any other player was in the moment before a goal was scored and an assist awarded by consistently providing the pass to the player who assisted the goal, quietly initiating so many of Barcelona's successful attacks last season.

There isn't much that hasn't been said about Bonmati. She describes her biggest strengths as comprehending the game and locating spaces with and without the ball, in order to identify solutions in every match.

Strategically, this self-assessment holds up perfectly. It is remarkable how much ground Bonmati covers when contrasted to others. This effort level combined with her field intelligence, game IQ and skill level ensure she continually resolves problems in games.

In possession, she moves to find space in a way that advantages the team, similar to other players but from a more advanced starting position that often affords players less time and space.

For club and country, Bonmati smartly ran into unconventional positions, sometimes even leaving her position to move to the opposite side to generate an overload. This contradicts what a structured side would normally do but her movement frequently created 3v2 or 2v1 situations.

With a numerical advantage, her passing and other-worldly small space dribbling becomes almost impossible to stop.

Her leadership distinguishes her from her peers too.

Her persistent running, particularly in her defensive pressure, secondarily raises the level of intensity in her teams and has the strategic advantage of pushing teams back, stopping them from getting settled attacking possession.

Bonmati shrewdly identifies the space she can exploit and with her running power arrives to create a 2v1 situation for Spain in the wide areas.