Aitana Bonmatí: "We're playing in a league that we don't know who cares about"

BarcelonaBarcelona's Aitana Bonmatí, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner, has once again spoken out to demand profound changes in the Women's League (Liga F). She did so during an interview on Cadena SER radio ahead of the first leg of the Nations League final, which pits the Spanish national team against Kaiserslautern this Friday. "We feel valued after everything that happened [referring to Luis Rubiales's presidency and Jorge Vilda's tenure as national team coach, both of whom were dismissed]," said Bonmatí, contrasting this with the situation in the Women's League. "It's nice to come here and feel like a footballer knowing what's happening with our league, which has been completely neglected."

The Barcelona player has voiced a long-standing complaint among the league's players. Reaching an agreement to professionalize women's football (and its refereeing) was incredibly difficult, and, according to the players, there are still many steps to be taken. The Barça midfielder explains that they have been demanding "a competitive league" and "an attractive product" for fans for some time: "We have examples in England, where there is a very competitive and attractive league. The Spanish product isn't favored, and it's very good."

Aitana also pointed out that the workload of matches is much higher than in other leagues: "We've asked for fewer teams so that the league is more competitive. We play more matches than any other league in the world. We're always in different conditions than the rest of the leagues." The player from San Pedro de Ribes mentioned the FA Women's Super League, with 12 teams and 22 matches. In the Spanish Liga F, on the other hand, there are four teams, with a schedule of 30 matches per season.