2024 Ballon d’Or: What Bonmati’s back-to-back win means for Spain

…as Rodri wins male Ballon d’Or 2024

Aitana Bonmati, the Barcelona FC women midfield maestro was announced as the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or feminin category on October 28 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, making it a back-to-back win for the Spanish.

The Spanish national female team power-horse made her Olympic debut at Paris, helping world champions Spain to fourth place. However, she scooped the Ballon d’Or feminin for a second successive year following more of club than international success last season.

Bonmati scored 19 goals in 40 appearances last season for Barca as they won a fifth straight Spanish league title.

In her race to becoming the 2024 winner, Bonmati fought off competition from Barcelona team-mates Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo as well as Lyon’s Ada Hegerberg to win the prize.
She made a remarkable club career history last season, helping Barca to the Women’s Champions League crown, scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 win over Lyon in the final.

Bonmati finished with the most goal involvements 11, with six goals and five assists in last season’s competition. Besides, she was part of the Spain team that followed up their World Cup success by winning the first edition of the Women’s Nations League, scoring in the final against France.
Her success sees her follow club and international team-mate Alexia Putellas in winning back-to-back Ballons d’Or.

Read also: Vinicius and Bonmati lead Ballon d’Or race

Similarly, Rodrigo Hernández, a Spanish professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the Spain national team won the male category of Ballon d’Or, beating Brazil’s Vinicius Jr and England’s Jude Bellingham, both of Real Madrid, to the prestigious prize.

With the victory, Rodri became the third player and/or second from Spain to lift the trophy depending on the side you look at it, after Alfredo di Stefano, 1957 and 1959, and Luis Suarez in 1960.

Di Stéfano who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 4, 1926, played for the Argentina, Colombia national teams before switching to play for Spain. Though not originally a Spaniard, but professionally he played for Spain.

The Manchester City midfielder was awarded the Ballon d’Or after a stellar season that saw him pick up silverware with both club and country.

Rodri is known for his passing, playmaking and physical attributes, he is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world.

Though the award has over the years been dominated by Spanish league players, no Spaniard had won it since Barcelona’s Luis Suarez more than 60 years ago, despite Spain’s “golden generation” that won the 2010 World Cup, the 2008 and 2012 Euros.

Rodri, the first Manchester City player ever to win the Ballond’Or award speaking on what the coveted trophy means his country said; “Today is not a victory for me, it is for Spanish football, for so many players who have not won it and have deserved it, like (Andres) Iniesta, Xavi (Hernandez), Iker (Casillas), Sergio Busquets, so many others. It is for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder.”

Spanish football has been mired with many negative developments such as racism, sex and financial scandals, among others leading to calls for the country to be stripped of the 2030 World Cup hosting right.

Spanish Football Federation faced a tremendous shake-up after the Women’s World Cup victory following the ‘kiss to jail’ saga between Luis Rubiales, the federation’s former president and Jenni Hermoso, a female player.

And partly in its drive to secure the co-hosting right with Portugal and Morocco for the 2030 FIFA men’s World Cup, the government took bold steps to restore normalcy in the country’s senior national women’s football team.

The government in quick reaction to the shameful development announced that Andreu Camps, the federation’s secretary general was relieved of his duties. Camps was considered to be close to Rubiales, and his removal had been one of the changes demanded by the players.

Spain’s acting Minister for Culture and Sports, Miquel Iceta, said he was hopeful the expected reforms by the federation would create an environment in which “the players truly feel motivated, comfortable and happy to play and to win.”

Today, the result of this timely intervention of the Spanish government is visible with the country charting home the two most prized trophies in individual football for both genders, besides, winning the European and World Cups at different categories.