Aitana Bonmati seals three-peat as Lamine Yamal narrowly misses out in Ballon d’Or awards | OneFootball

Barcelona had a sizable traveling party to the Ballon d’Or gala in Paris on Monday night, following a successful year winning a domestic treble in Spain. Their great hopes were Lamine Yamal and Aitana Bonmati, who were among the favourites for the Ballon d’Or, with La Liga nominees in the Johan Cruyff Award, Yachin Trophy and Kopa Trophy.

Aitana Bonmati takes home third Ballon d’Or in a row

Meanwhile Aitana Bonmati became the first women’s player to win the award three times, after picking up the award for a third year in a row. Despite being a runner-up in both the Champions League and Euros, Bonmati’s quality won over the vote. With her third award, Bonmati surpasses teammate Alexia Putellas, who has two herself, and makes it nine podium finishes in the last five years for Barcelona.

Aitana Bonmati’s season last year

Last year Bonmati was the heartbeat of Barcelona’s dominance on a domestic level, and in their run to the final. In her 44 games, Bonmati authored 15 goals and gave 12 assists from midfield, and very much maintained her level from previous years. Barcelona Femeni secured the Copa de la Reina, Supercopa and Liga F, as was the case with the men’s side.

Lamine Yamal pipped to Ballon d’Or by former teammate

Image via France Football

Following his first Ballon d’Or nomination, Lamine Yamal finished as the runner-up to Ousmane Dembele, his former Barcelona teammate. Leading Paris Saint-Germain to their first ever Champions League, Dembele was the star of the show as Luis Enrique’s side swept up all of the trophies available, excepting the Club World Cup. He did however win the Kopa Award for a second year running, for the best young player of the year.

Lamine Yamal’s season last year

Coming off the back of winning Euro 2024 with Spain, Lamine Yamal went from strength to strength, and by the end of last season, was the star of the show in terms of their offensive output. His 18 goals and 25 assists in 55 appearances fall short of describing his impact on Barcelona’s attack, with performances in big games against Real Madrid and in the Champions League across the season.