Aitana Bonmati won the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year award for 2022/23 and Sarina Wiegman was named UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year.
The 25-year-old Barcelona and Spain midfielder finished well ahead of Sam Kerr and Olga Carmona, who were second and third respectively in the vote.
Journalists on the voting jury got to speak to the winning players for a short time, after the awards ceremony.
AITANA BONMATI
On whether this season was her best:
I can say this is my best year since I’ve been a professional football player. I’ve been growing a lot these past years with Barcelona and the national team.
I don’t have any words for this year. Winning the Champions League, winning the World Cup, and also growing as a footballer, it means a lot to me and this year will remain in my heart forever.
On hoping to inspire not just girls in Spain but boys and girls all over the world:
Yes, I always try to say that I want to be a role model also for boys, not only for girls. It’s important for the young boys that they can see women as role models, not only men.
Because I remember when I was 10 years old, 11, and now I’m 25, I only had male role models. I always say that I always fixed my eyes on [Andrés] Iniesta and Xavi. But now, it’s important that we can be role models for boys and girls.
On the World Cup success being overshadowed:
We’ve had a very successful year, both with the club and national team but the truth is that people aren’t talking about our World Cup, about what we achieved.
There was a lot of work and many dreams that went into it. It’sa shame, but, as I said on stage before, we have to work for a better society and there’s still a lot to do. This happened for a reason.
Sarina Wiegman won the award for the second season running, ahead of Jorge Vilda (Spain) and Jonatan Giráldez (Barcelona).
“I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team”
Sarina Wiegman with a classy touch after winning UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year 👏#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/RO6fnIaOks
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 31, 2023
