Neither the pressure of individual awards – the latest being the Laureus for best female athlete – nor the collective ones, nor the tight schedule, nor playing practically every game. Not even the marker and the context against it; nothing could with her. Aitana Bonmatí took Barcelona on her back in the second leg in the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea (0-2) on the way to the fourth consecutive final, on May 25 in San Mamés against Olympique de Lyon. She was the MVP of the game, and the heroine of the culés. She scored the first goal, caused a penalty and gave oxygen in the final minutes. The current Ballon d’Or and The Best winner always wants more, and she provided order, hope and chances during the match to once again be decisive. A football and emotional leader, she trusted in the comeback since the players left Monjutïc with a goal disadvantage. “This team has known how to come back in difficult moments, if we did it in 45 minutes, why can’t we do it in 90?” She commented before the match. She warned of her intentions. And they did it.
He pressed without the ball, attacked dangerously with it. She organized the team despite being constantly marked by Chelsea players, always chased by a couple of them. They knew how dangerous it was. But it didn’t pose any problem for Aitana, and in the 25th minute, with the rush and nerves on the field, Patri Guijarro—excellent throughout the game—gave him a pass to the front of the area, a place he knows well. He controlled it, saw the gap, and signed a powerful cross shot that passed between Buchanan’s legs – he touched them lightly – to enter the goal. He kissed his shield, and raised the group.
It was the Catalan footballer’s fifth goal in the Champions League this season, one behind Salma Paralluelo, and with which she equaled Alexia Putellas – 21 – as the Barça club’s top scorer in history in European competition. Furthermore, with this goal she also reached 18 goals for Barcelona in the 35 games in all the tournaments she has played this season. The same ones that she scored throughout last season – in 37 games – and also the previous one – in 39 -. She has also accumulated 17 assists since last September. Data that adds to Saturday’s performance: only 14 losses of 81 actions, and 55 of 62 passes. In addition, she had eight recoveries, five duels won and did not miss a single dribble attempt.
In the second half and 15 minutes from the end, she caused a penalty that Fridolina Rolfö converted into victory. Although her mission continued, and she was also key in the discount. “I can’t, I can’t!” Aitana shouted from the ground in the 92nd minute, asking for the change that would come from the hands of Alexia Putellas, who came off the bench in the first leg and who barely played a few minutes in the second leg. The Sant Pere de Ribes footballer was not injured — “she had ramps everywhere, it’s because of the tension,” she confessed after the game — but she slowly limped off the field. She preferred to leave her place to another player, she said, and knew how to give oxygen to her team in the final stretch of the match. A very valuable time to get closer to victory while Chelsea tried to force extra time.
The English team is a fetish for her. In the 2021 final in Göteborg, where Barcelona beat the ‘blues’ by four goals, Aitana achieved a goal and was the MVP of the match. Two years later and in the semifinals, she also earned recognition as best player and signed an assist in the second leg. This year she shined again. She silenced Stamford Bridge. Her numbers merit her season, and far from being blinded by the brilliance of all the recognitions, Aitana continues to renew the best version of herself. The Super Cup at Barça’s home, the League practically in their pocket, and finalists in the Queen’s Cup and Champions League. In summer, she the possibility of the first Olympic medal for Spanish women’s football. And perhaps, a new Ballon d’Or for Aitana. But she doesn’t think about the distinctions. Just in winning and deserving it.
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