Aitana Bonmatí left out of Ballon d'Or shortlist | OneFootball

Aitana Bonmatí will not win the Ballon d'Or this year. The Barcelona midfielder has been omitted from the 30-player shortlist.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the three-time winner is absent from the nominees for best women's player. The gala is on Monday 26 October in London, which takes over from Paris.

Injuries underpin the omission. Team-mates Esmee Brugts, Cata Coll, Caroline Graham Hansen, Patri Guijarro, Ewa Pajor and Claudia Pina are included, as are London City players Mapi León and Alexia Putellas, the leading favourite. A victory for Alexia would level her with Bonmatí on three Ballons d'Or.

Bonmatí managed only 22 appearances last season, with seven goals and three assists. In each of the previous three campaigns she recorded between 28 and 40 goal contributions. Those numbers have left her out of contention for a fourth Ballon d'Or.

She fractured her fibula on 30 November last year during a national team training session, required surgery, and spent nearly five months out. She returned for the run-in of a season in which Barça won every trophy, including the fourth Champions League in their history.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo

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