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Aitana Bonmati wins best women’s player at Fifa Best Awards

Sports Desk | banglanews24.com
Update: 2024-01-16 09:48:38
Aitana Bonmati wins best women’s player at Fifa Best Awards [photo collected]

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati was named women's player of the year, adding to her Women's Ballon d'Or and Uefa women's player of the year accolades.

The midfielder won the award ahead of Colombia and Real Madrid star Linda Caicedo, and Spain team-mate Jenni Hermoso.

England manager Sarina Wiegman was named coach of the year and Mary Earps best goalkeeper for the second successive year at the Fifa Best Awards.

Manchester United keeper Earps finished ahead of West Ham's Mackenzie Arnold and Barcelona's Catalina Coll.

It is the fourth time Wiegman has won the coach award, having previously done so in 2017, 2020 and 2022.

She finished ahead of Barcelona Femeni treble-winning coach Jonatan Giraldez and Chelsea's Emma Hayes, who won the award in 2022.

Bonmati follows Barcelona team-mate Alexia Putellas in winning a clean sweep of the top individual prizes, which Putellas achieved in 2021.

The midfielder has shone for both club and country in recent years, helping to lead Barcelona to treble-winning success last season and Spain to their first major trophy win at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia.

Wiegman wins fourth best coach of the year award
Wiegman led the Lionesses to the Euro 2022 final and their debut appearance in a World Cup final the following summer, the second time she has led a national side to consecutive major finals after doing so with the Netherlands in 2017 and 2019.

The Lionesses added more silverware to their collection under Wiegman in 2023, winning the first Women's Finalissima against Brazil in April, as well as the Arnold Clark Cup.

No coach has won a place on the Fifa best women's coach podium more times than Wiegman, with the Dutchwoman having featured on seven occasions, winning four times.

"I didn't expect to win," said Wiegman. "We have had a very good run with England but so have a lot of teams.

"Going to the top is easier than staying there, after winning the Euros everyone really wants to beat us. We want to improve every day and keep winning games," she added.

A glittering run continues for Earps, who memorably saved a penalty in England's debut World Cup final appearance in the summer, which they lost 1-0 to Spain.

Collecting the Fifa Best goalkeeper prize for the second successive year, the Manchester United keeper said: "It just feels even more special [to win it again], to have a level of consistency is the most difficult thing you can do in football.

"It is really hard to maintain levels when people have really high expectations of you."

Her standout performance across the season also saw her voted both BBC Sports Personality Of The Year and BBC Women's Footballer of the Year, as well as being named Women's Super League goalkeeper of the year and earning a fifth-place finish in the voting for the Ballon d'Or.

Fifpro Women's World XI: Mary Earps; Olga Carmona, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood; Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James, Ella Toone, Aitana Bonmati; Alex Morgan, Sam Kerr

Source: BBC

BDST: 0948 HRS, JAN 16, 2024 
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