FC Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí has been awarded her third FIFA The Best as the world's best female footballer, capping a year of individual dominance despite a recent injury. The honor comes months after her third consecutive Ballon d'Or and amid recovery from a fibula fracture that will sideline her for five months. Bonmatí, the first to win three straight The Best awards, thanked recipients via video from Spain.
On December 16, 2025, during the FIFA The Best awards gala in Doha, Qatar, Aitana Bonmatí was named the world's best female footballer for the third straight year, becoming the first to achieve this feat. The FC Barcelona player, who also secured her third Ballon d'Or in 2025, topped the voting over compatriots Alexia Putellas and Mariona Caldentey. Unable to attend due to a transindesmal fracture of her left fibula suffered on November 30 during training before the Nations League final, Bonmatí sent a thank-you video on crutches.
This year has been demanding for Bonmatí: she played 60 matches last season between club and national team, logging 4,851 minutes, 21 goals, and 15 assists, with only 57% of games spaced by fewer than five days' rest. With Barça, she won the Liga F, Copa de la Reina, and Supercopa, but lost the Champions League final to Arsenal, where she was MVP despite the defeat. In the Eurocopa, she overcame viral meningitis to earn MVP honors, though Spain fell in penalties to England; "I'm in shock. I apologize for my miss," she said after failing a penalty.
The injury, recently surgically repaired, will keep her out until April 2026—a rare break for someone who had played without major rests. "Elite football takes you to the limit... it was preventing me from enjoying the profession and daily life," she explained post-surgery. "I felt it was time to hit the brakes, but life braked me suddenly." Before the injury, she had played 24 matches this season with seven goals and four assists.
Bonmatí joined FIFA's ideal eleven with six other Spanish players: Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Patri Guijarro, Claudia Pina, Mariona Caldentey, Alexia Putellas, and Jenni Hermoso. In the men's category, Ousmane Dembélé won the top award.
