Paris, September 23 (HS): Spain and Barcelona’s midfield maestro Aitana Bonmatí has etched her name deeper into football history by clinching the Women’s Ballon d’Or for the third straight year, a feat achieved during the glittering ceremony held in Paris on Monday.

The 27-year-old outperformed her compatriot and Arsenal forward Mariona Caldentey, who impressed throughout the season and was instrumental in Spain’s spirited Women’s Euro 2025 campaign, despite their heartbreaking penalty shootout loss to England in the final.

While Bonmatí suffered disappointment at the club level—Barcelona falling to Caldentey’s Arsenal in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final—her international form cemented her dominance. She was named the Best Player of Euro 2025, overcoming a health scare after missing Spain’s first two matches due to viral meningitis, and returned to orchestrate her side’s run to the final.

England striker Alessia Russo, a key performer for the eventual European champions, finished third in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

Since its launch in 2018, the Women’s Ballon d’Or has been claimed only by a handful of iconic names, including Norway’s Ada Hegerberg and the United States’ Megan Rapinoe. Before Bonmatí’s triumphs, her Barcelona and Spain counterpart Alexia Putellas had won the award back-to-back.

With this latest victory, Bonmatí joins an elite group of football greats—Lionel Messi and Michel Platini—as only the third player ever to lift the Ballon d’Or three times in succession, underlining her unmatched influence in the women’s game.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar