Aitana Bonmati wins third successive Ballon d'Or Feminin as Barcelona & Spain star beats out competition from Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo

Monday's honour rewarded Bonmati after an incredible season in which she regularly stole the show for club and country, scoring 20 goals and providing 16 assists across the 2024-25 campaign. Those contributions helped Barca win the Liga F title, the Copa de la Reina and the Supercopa de Espana, with them also reaching the Champions League final, losing narrowly to Arsenal. She was electric for Spain, too, named the Euro 2025 Player of the Tournament as La Roja made it to the final, only defeated by England on penalties.

Bonmati was always one of the front-runners for this award, but it felt too close to call, especially after Barca lost to Arsenal in that Champions League final. Until that point, the Catalans had been so dominant and, as such, put forth most of the main contenders for the end of season awards, with club-mate Alexia Putellas also right up there alongside Bonmati in the running for the biggest accolades. The Gunners' triumph, though, threw Caldentey into the mix in particular, after her outstanding impact in north London following a summer switch from Barca. England's win over Spain in the Euro 2025 final also cemented Russo's status as a contender, after she had contributed massively to Arsenal's Champions League win as well. It felt like any of the four could be announced as the winner of this award in Paris.

Bonmati, however, was certainly a worthy recipient, with Caldentey finishing second and Russo third in the rankings.

Consistency was key to this triumph for Bonmati. Throughout the 2024-25 season, the 27-year-old played at such a high level, named Player of the Season in the Champions League as a reward for her incredible performances on the biggest stage in European club football. Then, despite missing the start of Euro 2025 through illness, she bounced back in outstanding fashion to be a key reason for Spain's run to the final. Again, though her side fell marginally short at the last hurdle, Bonmati's excellence was recognised when she was named Player of the Tournament. That ability to stand-out when the pressure was at its greatest so often defines the Barcelona star, as was evident throughout the past year to lead to this third successive Ballon d'Or.

No one has ever won the Ballon d'Or four years in a row but Bonmati could certainly go on to achieve such a historic feat. After all, though the Catalans are hamstrung by financial restraints right now, Barcelona remain one of the best women's teams on the planet, with Spain right up there on the international stage, too. Bonmati is going to play in a lot more big games this year and get the chance to lead club and country to big titles, the kind of which could have her in contention for the Ballon d'Or once again in 12 months' time.