Spain World Cup star wins Ballon d'Or Feminin as England ace finishes fifth
Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati has been crowned the new Ballon d'Or Feminin winner to round off a remarkable year of accolades for the 25-year-old.
The World Cup winner, 25, replaced two-time winner and fellow Barcelona team-mate Alexia Putellas at football's pinnacle award ceremony, while seeing off four Lionesses in the process including Manchester United and England goalkeeper Mary Earps who finished fifth. Earps' placing is the highest for a goalkeeper in the female category.
Rachel Daly, winner of the WSL Golden Boot, finished 10th in the final vote, while England's World Cup skipper Millie Bright ended up 11th. Georgia Stanway finished 23rd, just behind Arsenal and Ireland star Katie McCabe who claimed 22nd place.
Bonmati inherits the prestigious gong from her Barcelona and Spain colleague Putellas, who claimed the title for the last two years on the bounce, but missed most of last season with an ACL injury. Spanish playmaker Bonmati, who finished fifth last year, claimed FIFA's Golden Ball award at the World Cup, awarded to the tournament's best player.
That Bonmati was recognised as the best women's footballer of the 2022-23 season comes as little surprise given the inimitable and unrivalled displays produced by the midfielder throughout the last year. The teeming trophy cabinet touted by the Barcelona star now includes every gong going in the women's game.
Earps reacts to FIFA Best nomination and on season so far with Man Utd
The La Masia product was crowned UEFA's Player of the Tournament following a triumphant Champions League campaign in which she registered a competition-high of 13 goal involvements (five goals and eight assists) and played a key role in Barcelona's comeback victory over Wolfsburg in the showpiece event's finale, earning the player of the match award.
The Champions League triumph culminated a sensational season at club level, in which Bonmati helped Barcelona lay claim to the treble. The midfielder was also named the Spanish Cup's top goalscorer after supplying two goals in the competition's final.
The treble triumph was made all the more impressive given Bonmati was operating in a hitherto unusual attack-focused role to compensate for the absence of the injured Putellas. Bonmati carried over her fine domestic form to the international stage as she helped steer Spain to an historic Women's World Cup final victory.
Bonmati alongside England favourite Mary Earps who finished fifth in the final standingsThe midfielder returned to the national team set-up after a self-imposed exile, along with 14 other national team members, as they boycotted the management of controversial former Spain boss Jorge Vilda. Despite their tough build-up, La Roja went all the way in Australia with the Barcelona star in fine form.
Olga Carmona's second-half strike proved the difference in the final as Spain defeated England 1-0 in Sydney in August. But the victory, as was a theme throughout the campaign, was influenced substantially by Bonmati in midfield, who was rewarded for her performances with the tournament's Golden Ball, which recognises the best player in the finals.
And on Monday evening at a star-studded ceremony in Paris, Bonmati was once again the subject of applause as she ensured a Spanish international claimed the Ballon d'Or Feminin for the third year on the bounce. Presented the award by tennis legend Novak Djokovic, Bonmati called for a more equal world in her acceptance speech.
"I'm very proud to win the Ballon d'Or," she said. "Football is a collective sport so I'd like to extend this prize to my team-mates and staff.
"Congratulations to the other nominees. They're great footballers. As role models we have a responsibility on and off the pitch. We should be more than athletes and keep leading by example and fighting together for a better, peaceful and equal world."
Bonmati triumphed alongside Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, who claimed the men's award for an eighth time having achieved the crowning glory of his career by lifting the World Cup trophy with Argentina last year
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