He was about to experience the most important night of his career, but Aitana Bonmatí never stops thinking about football. He arrived in Paris keeping in mind that the next day he had a match with the Spanish national team in Zurich, so no celebrations, he had to go to bed early and rest. But he enjoyed it. There was time before the doors of the Theater du Chatelet opened to savor every minute next to theirs.
At 2.15pm he landed in a cold and rainy Paris with Salma Paralluelo on the flight sent by the national team and went to the Intercontinental Hotel in the French capital. Her parents, Rosa and Vicent, were waiting for her there, very infrequent in public life, but they didn't want to miss such a special moment for their daughter. His closest friends and the people on his team were also there. "He was able to enjoy himself", say those around him. He had quality time with his people while distracting the butterflies that were starting to flutter in his stomach. As the hour approached, the nerves grew. She disguised them by walking determinedly on the red carpet, wearing a black haute couture dress and a dazzling smile. She nervously touched her hair as she entered the stage with Gündogan and sought out Alba Redondo to help her walk down the stairs to her seat in her heels. He dried the sweat on his hands in the armchairs and waited for his name to be announced. Aitana's habitat is the green of the grass, not a red carpet: "I feel more at ease playing football than talking, because I'm not used to these big stages", she confessed before admitting that "it's been weeks since I don't sleep” because of nerves. The FC Barcelona midfielder had been preparing for her big day for some time: the dress, the speech... everything was carefully chosen by Aitana herself. Clothing was something she was particularly concerned about, and although she did get counselling, she was very clear that she didn't want to lose her identity. "She wanted to look in the mirror and continue to be Aitana, feel good and respect her identity", explain those who have accompanied her in the process. Something she certainly achieved with that black Versace, a very natural make-up and a bun that gave her the air of a ballerina. He also respected its essence with the speech he gave at the Chatelet. "He was very clear, he wanted it to be in three languages and he knew which people he wanted to dedicate it to and the values he wanted to convey with his words", they say.
The gala went by very quickly. Since his name was announced at the Chatelet at 10.05 p.m., everything accelerated. Speech, press conference, photographs, interviews on the red carpet... he barely had ten minutes for his family, which he used to immortalize himself with them with the Ballon d'Or, before they left with the expedition of FC Barcelona back in the Catalan capital. They will have time to talk about this historic night when everything calms down over a drink in Sant Pere de Ribes, next to the mural that Barça gave to Aitana Bonmatí in his hometown yesterday. A work by the Catalan urban artist Fert that pays tribute to the footballer, in which you can see a current image and one from when she was a child with a very personal motto: "Win or learn, never lose".
The new Ballon d'Or spent the night in Paris, together with Salma Paralluelo, third in the voting, and yesterday, in the early hours of the morning, they both boarded a plane in the direction of Zurich. Because yes, once again, France Football placed the gala in the middle of an international shutdown which meant that only seven of the twenty nominees could attend: the five Blaugrana, Alba Redondo (Llevant) and Amanda Ilestedt (Arsenal).
Before eleven in the morning they were already at the hotel of the Spanish team in Zurich. When they arrived they were received by the selector Montse Tomé, who congratulated them and melted into a hug with Aitana. "Did you enjoy yourself?", he asked. "Yes, and I was nervous too", replied the Blaugrana smiling. Since Monday, the best player in the world.
