Ballon d'Or Winner Aitana Bonmatí Leads Fight Against Sexism in Spanish Soccer, Shifts Focus Back to Game

After helping to oust Spain's soccer federation's president for sexism, Bonmatí and teammates have secured improvements, removed "women's" from team name, and shifted focus back to football on the field.

• Aitana Bonmatí, the newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner, led Spain to Women’s World Cup glory in August and helped Barcelona win the Champions League for a second time, being named the best player at both competitions.
• Bonmatí and her Spanish teammates refused to remain silent when the former Spanish soccer federation president, Luis Rubiales, kissed forward Jenni Hermoso without her consent during the World Cup awards ceremony.
• As a result of their stand, Bonmatí and her teammates successfully ousted Rubiales, secured improvements in staff, travel and assistance for players with young children, and instigated the removal of 'women’s' from the national soccer team's name.
• During this period, they not only leveraged their status as world champions but also had to refuse to play twice to denounce discriminatory attitudes and practices within the Spanish soccer federation.
• Despite these off-field battles, Bonmatí maintains her focus on football, stressing the importance of professionalism, seeking to improve her game, and looking forward to a time when the focus can solely be on soccer.

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