PARIS: Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmati on Monday won her second successive women's Ballon d'Or, after leading her club to a historic continental quadruple of titles and claiming the Nations League with her country.
The 26-year-old playmaker joins team-mate Alexia Putellas as the only women to win the Ballon d'Or twice, since the award's inauguration in 2018.
"This cannot be achieved alone, I am very lucky to be surrounded by players who make me better every day," Bonmati said after receiving the award.
"Thanks to the staff, to the club workers, without you we would not achieve so much success."
Already considered an all-time great of the women's game, Bonmati was the stand-out performer as Barcelona romped to a trophy-laden 2023/24 season.
The Catalans won every trophy available to them last term – the Spanish league, the Copa de la Reina, the Supercopa de Espana and a second-successive Women's Champions League.
Bonmati scored a goal and put in a player-of-the-match performance as Barcelona beat Lyon 2-0 in the final of the Champions League to claim their third title in four seasons.
"It's the first time we've beaten Lyon. I'm proud of the team, and we know that with these fans we have, we can't fail," Bonmati said after the crowning moment of her season, which was played in front of 51,000 spectators in Bilbao's San Mames stadium.
A product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, the diminutive midfielder was also named player of the season by UEFA for her six goals and six assists during her side's successful European campaign.
With eight goals and 11 assists in Spain's Liga F, Bonmati was equally influential in guiding Barcelona to a fifth-straight league title.
The 2023 World Cup winner added the inaugural Women's Nations League to her resume in February, when she scored Spain's opener in their 2-0 win in the final against France.
She was again selected by UEFA as the overall player of the finals for her performances and goals in the semi-finals and final.
Only a shock defeat in the Olympics semi-final against Brazil prevented Bonmati from having the chance to secure a remarkable six titles for club and country in one season.
In April, Bonmati was named Sportswoman of the Year at the Laureus Awards, becoming the first footballer to do so, and was rewarded along with her Spain team-mates for winning the Women's World Cup in August 2023.
She also received praise for helping to combat sexism in the Spanish football federation by protesting with her team-mates after disgraced former president Luis Rubiales forcibly kissed player Jenni Hermoso.
"She's a role model of a player. How she trains, her attitude, the way she approaches things every day, she just sets a great example," then-Barcelona coach Jonatan Giraldez said of his star asset in May.
"We met when she was starting out her career. I've watched her grow up, go through the whole process. I'm pleased to have seen everything that's happened (to her), and she deserves it all."
The women's Ballon d'Or is chosen from a shortlist of 30 players by a voting panel of 50 international football journalists. - AFP