A Record-Breaking Achievement

Aitana Bonmatí has etched her name into the history books by becoming the first player to finish at the top of the Guardian’s Top 100 for a third consecutive year. The 27-year-old Spanish midfielder has cemented her position as one of the greatest players of the modern era, showcasing her dominance in the women’s game.

Source: i.guim.co.uk

Last year, Bonmatí emulated her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas by winning for a second year running. However, she has now gone one better, establishing herself once again at the top of the women’s game. This remarkable achievement is a testament to her exceptional skill, dedication, and leadership on the pitch.

Source: i.guim.co.uk

As the Top 100 approaches a decade since its inception, Bonmatí has become a figure who can step up when needed most. She has become synonymous with the Blaugrana Barcelona stripes, a one-club woman with over 300 appearances in all competitions for the Catalan giants. Her life and career are intertwined with the region since she was a child, and now she has become an icon not just at home but all around the world.

Source: i.guim.co.uk

In a year where the women’s game is growing exponentially, world-class talents are queuing up to dethrone the midfielder, but Bonmatí remains at the top. However, having broken a leg in training before the Nations League final, she will miss more than four months of 2026. She will be sorely missed by her team and fans alike.

The margin of victory in 2025 was smaller than the previous year, with Bonmatí receiving 43% of the No 1 votes, ahead of compatriot Mariona Caldentey with a 21% share. Russo and Putellas both had 8% of the first picks in third and fourth, respectively.

In a year where England backed up their Euro 2022 success with victory in Switzerland, Brazil continued their dominance in South America, and Nigeria regained supremacy in Africa. It was all change across the top 100 as players such as Caldentey, Russo, Hannah Hampton, Temwa Chawinga, Patri Guijarro, Ewa Pajor, and Clàudia Pina all made a new-look top 10 for the first time.

The Barcelona starlet Pina was the biggest mover, up 65 places on 2024, followed by another Spaniard in Gotham FC striker Esther González, up 59, while Klara Bühl moved up 40, just ahead of Russo’s 39 to propel the Arsenal striker into the top three.

Ghizlane Chebbak gave Morocco a first-ever entry into the top 100, and Canada’s new Northern Super League was represented in its first year thanks to the Nigerian striker Esther Okoronkwo of AFC Toronto. Almost a quarter of this year’s 100 were brand new faces, emphasizing just how fast the women’s game is growing.

Performances on the continental stage earned first-time appearances for the likes of Okoronkwo, Brazil’s Amanda Gutierres, and Nigeria’s Gift Monday, while potential stars of the future such as Olivia Smith, Lily Yohannes, and Signe Gaupset ranked for the first time. Mexico’s Charlyn Corral gained long-overdue recognition.

Others made their way back into the 100, such as the Arsenal and England duo Leah Williamson and Chloe Kelly after a trophy-laden 12 months while Sandy Baltimore and Cristiana Girelli also made returns straight into the top quarter.

Lucy Bronze, Wendie Renard, and Pernille Harder remain the only three players to have maintained a place every year after Saki Kumagai and Jenni Hermoso dropped out for the first time. It was Bronze’s Chelsea who dethroned Barcelona as the team with the most representatives, with 15 compared to Arsenal’s 14 and Barcelona’s 12.

Unsurprisingly after another Euro success, England piped Spain as the nation with the most players, 14 to 13, followed by the USA and France with nine each. Copa América winners Brazil move into the top five for the first time with five players of their own.

The Women’s Super League asserts its dominance with 39 players on the list, up 12 from 2024, ahead of the NWSL with 19 and Liga F with 16. Players such as Jess Park, Aoba Fujino, Mary Fowler, and Maya Le Tissier just missed out.

The young and old were once again represented at either end of the spectrum, with Marta again the oldest representative, the 39-year-old playing a key role in Brazil’s Copa América success with a dramatic late goal in the final against Colombia to keep their hopes alive. The OL Lyonnes and USA superstar Yohannes is the youngest at 18 and one of three teenagers to rank alongside López and Agyemang.

But it is again Bonmatí who ranks above them all, asserting her authority as one of the greatest of the modern era.