Aitana Bonmati, the star of Spain's World Cup team, said she would be hard-pressed to top her "unique" 12-month campaign after winning the Women's Ballon d'Or on Monday at a ceremony in Paris.
Following her countrymate Alexia Putellas's victory at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year, Bonmati was named the prize winner.
She was recently named the UEFA Women's Player of the Year, and she also played a significant role in Barcelona's Champions League victory last season.
"It is difficult to improve on this. It has honestly been a unique year," she told various media, including AFP, after collecting her award.
"If anyone had said to me when I was little that I would play at the Camp Nou, win a World Cup, two Champions Leagues, a Ballon d'Or, a UEFA prize, extraordinary things have happened for me lately."
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"I am lucky to be part of a club like Barca, where I am surrounded by the best players," she added of the Spanish and European champions.
The 25-year-old midfielder won the World Cup's best player award as the Spanish team triumphed over off-field unrest, which included demonstrations against coach Jorge Vilda and their national federation.
When Bonmati's teammate Jenni Hermoso went to pick up her medal, Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales forced a kiss on her lips, overshadowing their victory celebrations after they defeated England in the Sydney final.
Rubiales received a three-year suspension from all football-related activities on Monday.
But Bonmati was determined not to overshadow her accomplishment on Monday.
"I hope we can just talk about sport. There are enough extraordinary things in our country for us to always be talking about things that are less about sport," she said.
Four members of the victorious Spanish team—Alba Redondo, Salma Paralluelo, Olga Carmona, the full-back who scored the game's winning goal—were included in the 30 nominees for the Ballon d'Or, including Bonmati.
Sam Kerr, a forward for Chelsea and Australia, finished second in the final vote, followed by Bonmati's Barcelona teammate Paralluelo in third.
Putellas, who plays for Barcelona alongside Bonmati, did not receive a nomination despite missing nearly the entire previous campaign due to a severe knee injury.
Putellas had emerged victorious from the previous two campaigns with the Ballon d'Or. Ada Hegerberg of Norway won the inaugural prize in 2018, and American actress Megan Rapinoe succeeded her the following year.
The pandemic in 2020 meant that there was no winner.
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