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FIFA Women’s World Cup final: Spain v England; Where: Stadium Australia, Sydney; When: Sunday 10pm [NZ time]; Coverage: Live on Sky Sport 1, Prime, Stuff (coverage starts at 9pm); live updates on Stuff
Before she came to New Zealand for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Spain’s midfield star Aitana Bonmatí wrote an essay for The Players’ Tribune: “10 things you should know about me”.
No 1 was that she “owe[s] a lot to Pep Guardiola,” the coach of the all-conquering Barcelona men’s team between 2008 and 2012, who nurtured two of the best midfielders the game has ever seen.
“I would zoom in on Xavi and [Andrés] Iniesta: How they moved, how they created chances, how they scanned the space around them before receiving the ball. Iniesta was always driving the ball forward, so I tried to do that.
“Today I feel I have the same way of understanding the game. The Barça Way, if you want to call it that”.
KAI SCHWOERER/Stuff
Aitana Bonmatí has scored three goals for Spain and assisted two others during their run to the FIFA Women’s World Cup final.
No 10 was that Bonmatí – a midfielder for the all-conquering Barcelona women’s team since 2016 and Spain since 2017 – would be “giving 200% to help the team at this World Cup”.
“As always, I’ll be out there playing the football I learned from Xavi and Iniesta. The way I like the most.”
Bonmatí and the Spanish women are now one match away from delivering the country its first senior World Cup since Xavi and Iniesta and the Spanish men won in South Africa in 2010.
They play England at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Sunday night, having left New Zealand behind after winning five of their six matches in Auckland and Wellington, including Tuesday night’s semifinal against Sweden at Eden Park.
After that 2-1 win, which was decided by Olga Carmona’s 89th-minute strike from the edge of the box, Bonmatí said football fans back in Spain would “be very happy, because these moments are unique”.
“I remember when the men won the World Cup. Iniesta, Xavi, [Sergio] Busquets – those kinds of players.
“It was unbelievable. Now we have the chance to do it and it’s magic.”
Bonmatí has arguably been the best women’s footballer in the world over the past year and a bit.
The 25-year-old was a key figure for Spain at last year’s European Championship – where they lost to England, the hosts and eventual champions, in the quarterfinals – stepping up when Barcelona club-mate Alexia Putellas went down with a serious knee injury.
She then had her strongest season yet for Barcelona – a club she first joined as a 13-year-old – as they won their fourth domestic title in a row and their second Uefa Women’s Champions League title in three seasons.
With three goals and two assists to her name already at the World Cup, Bonmatí is set to have a big say in the outcome of Sunday’s final, where both Spain and England are seeking to turn their first appearance in the decider into a first title.
Down under Eden Park on Tuesday, you could see the emotion on her face as she recalled what it was like watching Spain win in 2010 – and likely imagining what it would be like if they win in 2023.
“I was young, so I don’t remember a lot,” Bonmatí said of the men’s win over the Netherlands 13 years ago, when she was just 12.
“But I remember the goal of Iniesta, one of my idols, along with Xavi.
“It was magic. I hope we can repeat history with our team.”
Getting to this point has not been straightforward. Last October, Bonmatí was one of ‘Las 15’ – a group of 15 players who wrote to the Spanish football federation making themselves unavailable for international selection in order to protect their mental health, as issues with the national team set-up under coach Jorge Vilda had reached a breaking point.
She returned to the fold ahead of the World Cup, along with Barcelona team-mates Mariona Caldentey and Ona Batlle and later wrote in her Players’ Tribune essay that she “had some meetings with the federation. Both parties agreed and accepted that some things had to change in order for me to come back”.
“At that moment I was hopeful that the federation would give us the backing we deserve. And so in the end, I decided to play this World Cup.”
While starring on the field, Bonmatí has also impressed off it – with Wellington Phoenix women’s coach Paul Temple one of those she has left a mark on.
“After the quarterfinal, she took a picture or signed an autograph with every single person that stayed. It was quite amazing,” Temple said.
“My daughter made her sign and we had a picture with her with that sign and we gave it to her. She’s very lovely and humble and took the sign off with her.”
Bonmatí’s grace was also on display after Spain’s semifinal win over Sweden, where she was generous with her time as she walked down the row of journalists in the mixed zone.
Among the questions were some about photos taken just minutes earlier, of her in the arms of Swedish winger Fridolina Rolfö, their shirts swapped and bright smiles on their faces, even though one of them had just suffered a painful defeat at the hands of the other.
Fully aware of her influence as one of the best players in the world, she had a request for the Swedish media with regard to Rolfö: “Don’t kill her.
“It’s a photo because we are very good friends. She was sad. She wanted to achieve [a place in] the final like me.
“We always try to achieve our goals … then when the match ends, you have to see your friends and talk a little bit and also take a photo.”
Two more Barcelona team-mates now stand in Bonmatí’s way on Sunday – midfielder Keira Walsh and fullback Lucy Bronze.
Getty Images/Getty Images
Sweden winger Fridolina Rolfö (left) and Spain midfielder Anita Bonmatí (right) are club team-mates at Barcelona.
They weren’t yet team-mates when Spain and England met at the Euros last July, in a thrilling contest featuring a 84th-minute English equaliser and a 96th-minute winner.
The report in The Guardian that night noted that Bonmatí “departed Brighton early, carrying Keira Walsh’s shirt”.
“We’re out in the quarters and I’m left with frustration,” she was quoted as saying. “I wanted to leave here with the trophy in my hand and the team champions.”
Perhaps on Sunday Bonmatí will swap shirts with Bronze at the final whistle. But her first aim will be laying hands on the trophy that weighs 4.6 kilograms and is 47 centimetres tall, made of sterling silver, finished in 23-karat white and yellow gold.
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