By Yara El Shaboury
Aitana Bonmati is quietly enjoying a stellar season at Barcelona, starring in midfield and leading her team to countless victories.
When Alexia Putellas sustained an ACL injury ahead of the UEFA Euro 2022 competition, the overarching narrative ahead of the domestic season was that Barcelona would struggle without a women’s Ballon d’Or winner.
But even without Putellas in the lineup, Barca continued to dominate the domestic league. This season they have won all their matches in Liga F, Queen’s cup, and Supercopa de Espana, the latter of which he won for a record third time. In the Champions Leaguethey have recorded wins in all but one of their group stage matches against Bayern Munich and are expected to face Roma in the quarter-finals of the competition.
In Putellas’ absence, Bonmati has strengthened her role, showcasing her versatility and ability to adapt to different roles on the pitch. As a major contributor to Barcelona’s attack, Bonmati has demonstrated time and time again his ability to drive with the ball, his dribbling skills, his shooting accuracy and overall creative ability.
Most recently, Barcelona defeated Levante in the league, with Bonmati scoring twice to take his overall tally of goals for the season to 16, two fewer than the total he finished with last season. She is the club’s second top scorer this season – behind striker Asisat Oshoala – and leads in assists so far with 13 assists.
“I’m in the club that bets the most on women and women’s football. When I started, I never imagined that I would have all the conditions of a professional player,” Bonmati recently said in an interview on International Women’s Day.
“Life goes by so fast you don’t even notice it. There are times when I remember ten years ago I played for Cubelles or Ribes and I had no expectations for the future. Women’s football was not relevant and could not be dedicated professionally. But the road brought me here and the truth is that I’m very proud of it.”
Last season, Barcelona narrowly lost in the Champions League, losing to Olympique Lyonnais 3-1 in the final. With the form he’s in, Bonmati could be key in helping Barcelona overcome the hurdle of winning their second CL trophy this season.
“We didn’t win but it was great to be able to experience it. This year the goal is to reach the Champions League final again and try to win it. The road is difficult, but we will fight to reach it and to reach it we need the fans.”
This article was originally posted on 90min.com as Barcelona: Aitana Bonmati is enjoying an outstanding season in midfield for the Liga F champions.
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