Aitana Bonmati has signed a new three-year contract at Barcelona that runs until 2028.
The Athletic reported earlier this month Bonmati was expected to become the highest-paid player in women’s football after agreeing a lucrative contract extension with Barcelona despite strong interest from Chelsea, who enquired about her availability.
The Ballon d’Or winner’s previous deal had been due to expire in 2025.
“The best player in the world is thus staying at a winning club,” a Barcelona statement read. “Now that she has been confirmed as staying until 2028, that leaves plenty of time for her to collect more silverware and to help further establish Barca’s place at the peak of the women’s game.”
Bonmati has made 275 appearances for Barcelona and scored 96 goals as the Catalan club has established itself as a dominant force in the women’s game in recent years, winning five successive Liga F titles.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑠, @AitanaBonmati 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/u0FmgZ2kg5
— FC Barcelona Femení (@FCBfemeni) September 16, 2024
The 26-year-old midfielder was named player of the match as Barcelona beat Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final to win the competition for the first time. She has added a further two Champions League titles in 2023 and 2024 and scored the opening goal in the victory over Lyon in May’s final.
At international level, Bonmati was a key figure in Spain’s 2023 Women’s World Cup triumph, earning the tournament’s golden ball as its best player, with three goals and two assists in Australia and New Zealand. She has been capped on 65 occasions.
Bonmati was nominated for the 2024 Ballon d’Or award this month, alongside several other Barcelona team-mates including Patricia Guijarro, Caroline Graham Hansen, Salma Paralluelo, Alexia Putellas and Ewa Pajor.
Her renewal follows Putellas’s contract extension in May. The 30-year-old has committed her future to Barcelona until 2026, with an option for a third year.
(David Ramos/Getty Images)