Bonmatí: “I’ve loved getting to know Barça beyond my own bubble” | OneFootball

“I’ve loved getting to know Barça beyond my own bubble,” revealed Aitana Bonmatí as she nears a return from injury.

In an interview with SPORT’s Maria Tikas at an exclusive Adidas event in Barcelona, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner spoke about how she’s been keeping busy during her time on the sidelines by getting to know her club better.

Hailing from Sant Pere de Ribes, Bonmatí has been a Barça fan since birth, and over the course of the past few years, she has established herself as an icon of the club.

“I’ve spent part of these two months [out injured] in Barcelona living with my uncles,” the midfielder told Tikas, revealing that she’s been able to connect with the club in ways she hasn’t previously been able to.

“Since I’m not far from the centre, I’ve been able to go more often to the Palau Blaugrana and to the Camp Nou. I’ve really enjoyed that, going to watch the basketball team and the men’s football team.”

But it goes beyond showing up in the stands, as Bonmatí spoke about making connections with other Barça athletes during her time in rehab.

“During this time in the medical facilities, I’ve also crossed path with other athletes from the club, from Barça B men’s team, to basketball and Barça B women’s team, among others.

“It’s really cool to see that, beyond your own bubble, there are many other sports in the club. I’ve loved that part of the process. I’m grateful to have met other great athletes and professionals at the club, who you don’t usually see in your day-to-day life.”

Time away from the pitch hasn’t just allowed Bonmatí to connect with the club, but it’s also afforded the 28-year-old time for deeper personal reflection. A keen reader, the midfielder spoke about a book she has read during her time away from the pitch: Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library.

The book speaks of alternate realities and the ways in which lives could be different had you taken a different decision at some point along the way, and Bonmatí admitted that “at certain moments in your life you do wonder what would have happened if, for example, I’d had to leave for another team to get minutes during a tougher period when I wasn’t playing.

“I’ve thought about it many times. The book talks about that. I think life’s a collection of decisions you make every day, and that’s the path you build. I believe that all the decisions I’ve made, good or bad, have helped me become the player and the person I am today, so I’m grateful and wouldn’t change them for anything.”

The triple Ballon d’Or winner also recognised that her injury has given her time to process a “crazy” few years, telling SPORT that “it’s helped me to enjoy what I’ve achieved a little more, and above all, to value it more.

“I play in a team and for a national side that fight to win everything, and for me, success in a sporting and competitive contest is very hard not to associate with victory and winning titles.

“Obviously, success is linked to titles, given the team I play for. But I also think that success is having achieved everything we have done socially. It’s understanding and accepting that sport includes defeats and that even if you have as good of a season as we did last season, you can reach the Champions League final and the EUROs final and let two huge titles slip away because of small details.

“That’s genuinely what we play for now; it’s not just for enjoyment like we used to say years ago.

“Success is accepting those moments and understanding that other teams play too, and they play well.”