Spain

Spain's Aitana Bonmatí wins Golden Ball as best player at 2023 Women's World Cup

Bonmatí scored three goals in the tournament for Spain

Aitana Bonmatí shined on the biggest stage.

The 25-year-old Spaniard was recognized as the Golden Ball award winner on Sunday, moments after her squad won its first ever Women's World Cup title.

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Bonmatí scored three goals and dished out two assists while starting all seven matches for Spain in the tournament.

She set the tone for La Roja in its first match, scoring the second goal in a 3-0 victory over Costa Rica.

Then, Bonmatí scored twice in Spain's 5-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16. The FC Barcelona midfielder also had two assists in the match, as she accounted for four of Spain's five goals.

The Golden Ball award goes to the best player of the tournament, with the FIFA technical committee putting together a list of candidates to be voted on by media representatives.

Spain also claimed the Silver Ball, as Jenni Hermoso finished just behind Bonmatí in the voting. Sweden's Amanda Ilestedt won the Bronze Ball.

On the other side, England's Mary Earps won the Golden Glove as the tournament's best goalkeeper. She had three clean sheets in seven matches and performed admirably in the final, saving a penalty kick to keep the Lionesses alive in the second half.

Spain is just the third team to have its players win both the Golden and Silver Ball, joining the United States (1991) and Norway (1995).

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