Aitana Bonmati rejects Lionel Messi comparison despite third Ballon d'Or triumph - 'I am not thinking about winning eight – or even four!'
Updated 30/09/2025 at 11:59 GMT+1
Aitana Bonmati has rejected comparisons with Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi despite securing her third Ballon d'Or triumph. The Spanish midfielder secured the most coveted individual honour in world football for the third consecutive year despite falling to defeat in the final of the UEFA Women's Champions League and the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.
Watch moment Dembele, Bonmati announced as Ballon d'Or winners
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Aitana Bonmati has rejected comparisons between herself and Lionel Messi after winning her third consecutive Ballon d'Or Feminin.
Bonmati held off stiff competition from Arsenal duo Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo to claim the most coveted individual honour in world football, despite not lifting the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Barcelona or the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 with Spain.
Her third consecutive Ballon d'Or Feminin has seen her follow in the footsteps of fellow Barcelona legend Messi, who has won the award eight times during his illustrious career.
However, Bonmati insists she is not targeting eight trophies herself.
"I try not to compare myself to anyone," she told ESPN. "Messi’s had and continues to have a career that, for me, is unrivalled.
"I am Aitana, I have my own path to follow. I am not thinking about winning eight – or even four!
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‘Who else?’ – Bonmati fires Spain level against Japan
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"Ultimately, this is the result of working hard every day, and perseverance, and a lot of sacrifices. There’s no end goal, other than to keep going day by day."
The 27-year-old scored 21 goals and provided 15 assists in 58 appearances across all competitions for club and country during the 2024/25 campaign.
Bonmati’s Barcelona side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal in the final of the Women’s Champions League.
On the international stage, she reached the final of Euro 2025, only to fall to a heartbreaking defeat against England in the final.
Bonmati now has more Ballon d'Or Feminin trophies than any other player, moving clear of her compatriot Alexia Putellas, who won the award in 2021 and 2022.
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PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 22: Aitana Bonmati and Ousmane Dembele pose for a photo with the Women's Ballon d'Or and Men’s Ballon d’Or trophies during the 69th Ballon D'Or Ceremony at Theatre Du Chatelet on September 22, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
The midfielder believes that each of her Ballons d'Or is special in its own way.
"I think they are all special," she added. "Each one has its own story behind it. This one was perhaps the most competitive year.
"I had minimal expectations, not necessarily very high ones. In fact, I didn't even prepare a speech because that sets the expectations high and creates some pressure.
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"This was the year with the most uncertainty and I didn't know I had won until my name was called out.
"When I was little, I just played because I loved football and that was that.
"I didn't think I would be able to dedicate myself to the sport, let alone that I would win three Ballons d'Or by 2025. It was a utopia to think that."
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