Barcelona's Bonmati claims Women's Ballon d'Or for 2nd straight year

Aitana Bonmati became the second woman to win the Ballon d'Or two years in a row on Monday, beating out competition from Barcelona teammates Caroline Graham Hansen and Salma Paralluelo to claim the sport's highest individual honor in Paris.

Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d'Or in 2021 and 2022, giving Spain and Barcelona complete ownership of the award over the last four years.

Ada Hegerberg and Megan Rapinoe are the only other players to earn the honor since it was inaugurated in 2018.

"I always say this is not something that you can do alone, I'm so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful players who help me to keep growing into a better player. So thank you to my teammates because without them I wouldn't be here," Bonmati said upon receiving the trophy once more.

Prior to receiving her individual accolade, Bonmati and some of those teammates took the stage as Barca was recognized as the best women's team of the year.

Bonmati played a key role in Barcelona's historic quadruple, recording 19 goals and a single-season career-high 18 assists while helping the team win La Liga F for the fifth consecutive year, the Women's Champions League for a third time, and the Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de Espana.

The 26-year-old - who dispatched the decisive goal in Barcelona's 2-0 win over Lyon in the Champions League final - was also named the competition's best player for a second season running.

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U.S. trio Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman entered the ceremony with a decent shot of dethroning Bonmati after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. France's Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who finished seventh in voting, had high hopes herself after finishing as the tournament's top scorer with five goals.

The United States' success in Paris didn't go unrecognized on Monday though, as bench boss Emma Hayes was named the best women's coach after leading the team back to the top step of the Olympic podium.