Until the very last moment, Aitana Bonmati did not know if she would be at the Women’s World Cup. Now she is the one carrying their hopes of glory.
Zealand — If it has been a difficult year for Aitana Bonmati’s relationship with the Spain national team, it did not show in her performance against Costa Rica. The Barcelona midfielder scored the second goal and helped create the first with a clever flick as La Roja opened their Women’s World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win at Wellington Regional Stadium on Friday.
Bonmati was one of 15 players who sent an email to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) last September, declaring themselves unavailable for selection. They felt changes were needed to professionalise the setup and better equip the national team to compete for silverware. Despite having the back-to-back Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas in their ranks and the spine of a Barca side that have won two Champions Leagues in three years, Spain have never won a knockout game at a major tournament.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Until the very last moment, Bonmati, voted fifth in this year’s Ballon d’Or and second in ESPN’s best players at the World Cup, did not know if she would be in Australia and New Zealand this summer. Eventually, following meetings with the RFEF throughout the season, the 25-year-old was one of three from the 15 to be named in Spain’s squad for the finals, along with club teammates Ona Batlle and Mariona Caldentey. The other 12 either did not make themselves available or were not selected by coach Jorge Vilda.
« [It has been] soooo difficult, » she told The Players’ Tribune this week. « You miss out on matches, money, sponsors, everything. You get killed in the press. But I wanted to be part of [the strike]. I felt that the [RFEF] needed to invest more in us. Certain changes needed to be made if we were to win big tournaments. Which is what we want to do, otherwise what’s the point? »
With the likes of Barca duo Mapi Leon and Patri Guijarro refusing to come back, the debate will not end here, but Bonmati doesn’t want to « dwell » on the subject anymore, asking for the focus to be on a World Cup where she looks set to be one of the standout performers.
