When she's not defending the FC Barcelona shirt, Aitana Bonmatí (Sant Pere de Ribes, 1998) makes all kinds of social causes visible. At the gates of Women's Day, the Catalan soccer player attends La Vanguardia in the Blaugrana sports city. It's cold, but with a coffee in hand and a smile, the midfielder is willing to speak openly about the recent demands of women's football, the challenges she faces as a woman and a footballer, her impact on the new generations and also Her future.
What do you spend your free time doing?
I really like to read history books and spend time with my lifelong friends from Ribes to feel that I am still myself, a normal person from the town. I also comply with the social commitments that I have, which are not an obligation at all, I do them because I want to.
What are you most proud of?
I really like being able to help the most disadvantaged groups. I am an ambassador for Acnur, I collaborate with other NGOs and associations and I am also an ambassador for LaLiga Genuine. Anyone who needs me will have me there. I am always open to help make the world a better place.
study?
Yes. I'm taking an online course at the Johan Cruyff Institute for sports management. I don't know what will happen in the future, but we must continue to evolve. Before this I studied two years of the Degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences (CAFE) but right now the demand that professional football requires does not allow me to attend face-to-face classes.
Do you like to be a reference for the little ones?
We have a responsibility on the pitch, but even more off it. It is very important to me that children have female references from an early age because that way when they grow up they already have this mentality that men and women are equal.
Do you think about the impact it can have on the new generations?
Of course, right now the relevance we have is great and we must be very careful with what we say and what we do. This didn't happen before. I am very proud of what I do on the pitch, but even more so of what I do off it.
What is it like to be a woman at FC Barcelona?
I think I'm in the club that is most committed to women and women's football. When I started I never would have imagined that I would have all the conditions of a professional player.
Did you think about quitting?
When I played in the lower categories there was a first team, but it wasn't professional, it didn't have a goal to achieve. She trained at night and since my mother has fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue and she is the only one who drives, she had to come by public transport. She would leave home at six in the evening and not return until one in the morning. There were moments of frustration, but my character led me to keep fighting. A few years later, while in the subsidiary, Barça professionalized the first team. From then on, I saw that I had a goal.
In recent years it has gained a lot of international repercussion and it is increasingly common to see it among the nominees for the grand prizes. How do you live this process?
Life goes by so fast you don't even realize it. There are times that I remember that ten years ago he played for Cubelles or Ribes and had no expectations for the future. Women's football was not relevant and you could not dedicate yourself to it professionally. But the road has led me here and the truth is that I am very proud.
What do you think now when you hear that Aitana will be the next Ballon d'Or?
I am making my way. I am proud of what I have achieved but I am a very ambitious person, I am almost never happy with what I do. I believe that this character, this ambition and this self-demand have led me here. Now I am learning to manage it because I feel that sometimes I suffer more than I enjoy football because I always want to be at the top, to be the best.
Why is it so important to invest in mental health?
If the head doesn't work, nothing you do will help. Sometimes it wears you out so much that you say: 'I'm empty, I don't have energy, I don't have motivation...'. That is why working on the psychological aspect is a priority, because although it looks very easy from the outside, we are under a lot of pressure. We are in a team that wants to win everything and it is important to know how to manage failures and victories. It is a profession that requires a lot of perseverance.
Barça is promoting the female Masia. How important can it be for the future?
I would have liked to have all these resources when I was little to be able to focus more on football and not have to spend so much time coming to train or eating better. I often ate dinner on the bus. Previous generations have worked to make La Masia possible and I am proud to have been part of the journey. Tomorrow there will be many more level players because from a very young age they are cared for like professionals.
Referees, coaches, journalists... What do you think about the fact that women are always associated with women's football?
Equality is in choosing the best. In soccer they don't have to be all men in the masculine and women in the feminine. We are talking about the same sport. I hope that very soon women will be able to coach men's teams, but all this will come when society is aware. Right now she is not prepared for a woman to command and say how to play. The woman has to work twice as much to validate her professionalism.
In men's soccer we are seeing a proliferation of complaints against some players for sexual violence.
I think it is a matter of stereotypes. Not everyone is the same, but there are many people who see women as an object. If they valued her and saw her as equals, these things would not happen.
Spain, France, Canada... soccer players from all over the world are rising up to demand improvements. Are the players going faster than the clubs and federations in this process of professionalization?
The only thing we ask is to have the best to win it all. We don't do things just because. We are very ambitious players and we will always fight for equality and seek improvements. At Barça we are privileged, we have all the conditions to be able to play football.
Do you see yourself at Barça beyond 2025?
I am very culé, everyone knows it. But in life you can't say yes or no when you don't know what will happen tomorrow. Never say never, day by day and step by step. That is my philosophy of life.
The Champions League returns to the Camp Nou. What can be done so that the momentum does not wane?
Last year we played two games there. This year two more. And I think the fans had a great time, they connected a lot with us. It was very nice to experience what we experienced at the Camp Nou and in the final in Turin, when we saw the number of people who came to support us. We didn't win but it was beautiful to be able to experience it. This year the goal is to reach the Champions League final again and try to win it. The road is difficult, but we will fight to achieve it and to achieve it we need the fans.
