Women’s Ballon d’Or: Aitana Bonmati

Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati is named Women’s Ballon d’Or winner for the first time, capping a stellar 2023 that included a FIFA Women’s World Cup triumph with Spain and a second UEFA Women’s Champions League title with Barcelona. The award, voted on by 50 journalists and experts, arrived in its fifth edition, with the 25-year-old midfielder already crowned UEFA Women’s Player of the Year weeks earlier. Accepting the trophy in Paris, Bonmati used her speech to highlight footballers’ responsibilities as role models. Chelsea and Australia’s Sam Kerr finished runner-up, with Bonmati’s Barcelona and Spain teammate Salma Paralluelo third, England’s Mary Earps fifth, and Rachel Daly completing the top ten.