The Good Footballers: Aitana Bonmatí
The player of the hour is a 'crack' off the pitch too
Welcome to the first post of a brand new series featuring different athletes helping make The Good Football a reality. Meet Aitana Bonmatí.
The good profile
Aitana Bonmatí is a midfielder who plays for the Barça Femení team and the Spanish squad. In her early career, she played for smaller teams in Catalonia, Spain, and in 2013 arrived in Barça's youth categories.
So far, she has 8 titles on her CV, including 2 Women's Champions League (UWCL) and the first Spanish Women's World Cup.
Aitana has made herself indispensable in both squads - this great article explains it better.
The good evidence
Now, why is Aitana a Good Footballer outside the pitch too? Here is some evidence that her leadership is consistently shown in different opportunities:
Her 2023 UEFA Women's Player of the Year Award acceptance speech. She did not let the spotlight go to waste and used it as an opportunity to stand up for her Spanish squad teammates as they fought for their rights.
Her support for refugees and migrants (Check fact #9 here). This is clearly the main cause embraced by Aitana, and she is really involved in it. She is an ambassador for the FC Barça Foundation, a supporter of the United Nations Refugee Agency and, through these organizations, has collaborated with A.E. Ramassà, a football team that promotes the integration of refugee and migrant women in Spain.
The “Refugees Welcome” t-shirt she wore in the 2022-23 UWCL title celebration, while still on the pitch and surrounded by thousands of fans - and cameras.
The UWCL Visa Player of the Match donation she made to “Movement On The Ground, which promotes gender equality and social inclusion of refugee children in Lesbos.
🌟 Extra evidence 🌟
Aitana is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Sport Management, motivated by her personal goals and also by the growing presence of women in leadership roles in women's and men's football.
She also wrote a book!
The good effect
Aitana is being recognized as a leader and role model on and off the pitch by multiple stakeholders. One of the most meaningful examples is the local football field where she started playing as a kid being named after her. She is already building a strong legacy at 25 years old, and this is probably just the beginning.
Visca L’Aitana!
SOME GOOD NEWS
If you are based in Barcelona come join us for team talks & tapas, a fun and laid-back event created to bring together those who believe in the positive impact of football. On October 10th we will gather to connect, hear leaders in the sector about women's football and social impact, and eat some tapas! Find out more here (🇬🇧) or here (🇪🇸) and share the good news with your network.
THE GOOD LINKS
💫 This pre-match outfit worn by Kounde the other day, made by @thefootballgal (as seen in a previous edition of The Good Football, ha).
🔥 Roma's new third kit - as beautiful as the other two.
🤳🏿 This football app that not only has a clean and cool interface, but is also doing Good. Forza Football's mission is to “make the world of football a better place, and available for everyone.”