Aitana Bonmati wins UEFA women's player of the year award and discusses Rubiales: We must not allow abuse of power

The Barcelona midfielder has had a great year

Aitana Bonmati has won the UEFA women's player of the year award for the 2022/23 season by UEFA and ESM, adding her name to a list that includes Nadine Angerer (2013), Nadine Kessler (2015), Celia Sasic (2015), Ada Hegerberg (2016), Lieke Martens (2017), Pernille Harder (2018, 2020), Lucy Bronze (2020) and Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022).

The Barcelona player, who was named best player of the Champions League and World Cup, achieves her first major international recognition.

«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», said the award winner.

Aitana's story began to be written 25 winters ago in the streets of Sant Pere de Ribes, a Barcelona municipality of 31,688 inhabitants. From kicking the ball around in the school playground, at the age of seven she signed for her first team, CD Ribes, and played for two years with CF Cubelles — in both of which she was the only girl — until she made the leap to Barcelona at the age of 13.

She made her debut with the first team on 18 June 2016. Since then, she has worn the Barcelona jersey in 229 games, scoring 78 goals and winning 14 titles: four LaLiga titles, five Copa del Rey trophies, three Supercopas de Espana and two Champions League titles. To this we must add his 54 international appearances with Spain, in which she scored 18 goals and won a World Cup.

«I always like to say that I am a very ambitious person and player, a non-conformist, who always wants more and this is something that defines me very well and has got me this far. I'm lucky