SANT JOAN DESP脥, Spain (AP) 鈥 It's been a whirlwind last few months for Aitana Bonmat铆, the newly crowned Ballon d鈥橭r winner, with memorable victories on and off the field.
Far from the days of being , Bonmati led Spain to in August after helping Barcelona win the for a second time, while being named the best player at both competitions.
The 25-year-old midfielder was also named along with Lionel Messi.
Amid all the huge successes, it has also been a fraught time for Bonmat铆 after she and her fellow Spain teammates decided they when the now-former president of the Spanish soccer federation Luis Rubiales kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent during the World Cup awards ceremony, drawing attention away from their greatest achievement.
While Bonmat铆 says that taking a stand was a source of pride and strength for the players in their struggle for equality, it has taken its toll 鈥 even if Spain has been in the Nations League in the aftermath of the worst of the crisis caused by Rubiales.
鈥淩ight now both Bar莽a and Spain are playing great, so perhaps the fight for social causes and equality have brought us together even more, but this is also a question of just being professionals,鈥 Bonmat铆 told The Associated Press on Thursday at Barcelona鈥檚 training grounds in an interview conducted both in English and Spanish.
Bonmat铆 and her teammates for Spain had to rebel against their own federation and , over the past year to denounce what they considered to be discriminatory attitudes and practices inside the governing body of Spanish soccer. Leveraging their new status as world champions, they were able to finally force the , and , along with securing improvements in staff, travel and assistance for players with young children. That has also coincided with a to get a higher minimum wage.
鈥淚t has all gone so fast, and what all we are thinking about is the time when we can only focus on soccer and leave other issues behind us,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e have enough to think about just with training and winning games for on top of that to have to pay attention to other things that sap our energy, generate stress and are not good for our health. So we are all ready to get back to soccer.鈥
Part of the overhaul of the federation has included the from its national soccer team. Both the men's and women's teams are now called officially Spain's national football teams.
鈥淚f you talk about 鈥榮occer鈥 and 鈥榳omen鈥檚 soccer鈥 you are differentiating between them and giving more importance to men鈥檚 soccer by calling it 'soccer'," she said. 鈥淪occer is soccer, no matter who plays it.鈥
Bonmat铆, who was also named the UEFA player of the year, won the Ballon d鈥橭r award after her Spain and Barcelona teammate had prevailed the previous two years. Only one Spanish man has won the award: Luis Su谩rez in 1960.
With Alexia playing limited minutes at the World Cup after missing most of Barcelona鈥檚 season due to a long injury layoff, Bonmat铆 took on a key role for both teams as their top playmaker and an improved scoring threat. At the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, she scored three goals and provided two assists while driving Spain鈥檚 attack that beat England 1-0 in the Aug. 20 final.
Her light frame, combined with great vision, ball handling and passing ability, has drawn comparisons to the great Barcelona midfielders Andr茅s Iniesta and Xavi Hern谩ndez she admired as a child. Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has said that he is 鈥渃ompletely in love鈥 with Bonmat铆鈥檚 playing style.
For Bonmat铆, she is cast in the Barcelona mold because from a young age she based her game on Barcelona鈥檚 mantra that having the ball is a prerequisite of the best attack, and also the best defense.
鈥淓veryone says that we have a similitude with Guardiola鈥檚 teams and especially when he was the coach of Bar莽a,鈥 Bonmat铆 said. "I don鈥檛 want to compare (because) we are different players, but we have the same style. We understand the same style of football.鈥
An avid reader as well as a student of English, Bonmat铆 is dealing with her transformation into a star who has her image shown everywhere, including on a mural in her home town of Sant Pere de Ribes, where she still lives just south of Barcelona.
Long gone are the days when she can meet up in public with friends and go unnoticed, but, she said, 鈥減eople treat me well and I have to give something back for all the support they have shown me.鈥
She now faces the challenge of all elite athletes who have won absolutely everything. How to stay at the pinnacle of her game?
To do so, Bonmat铆 believes she can still get better as she is entering the prime of her career.
鈥淚 clearly have room to improve,鈥 she said. 鈥淔or example, my finishing 鈥 I sometimes have chances I don鈥檛 put in, I am not a 鈥榢iller鈥 in the box. I also need to shoot more with my strong foot, my right, because recently I am shooting only with my left, which is odd.鈥
For the time being, though, the avalanche of trophies and accolades has made her reflect on how far she has come.
鈥淚t has been a long time (since) I started to play football when I was 7 years old,鈥 she said. 鈥(There have) been a lot of good moments, but also bad moments, and now I think that these bad moments gave me the opportunity to keep working, keep pushing and fight for everything I have won.鈥
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