Women’s World Cup and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati will miss Spain’s friendlies this month to rest, a move that underlines growing concerns about crowds in both women’s and men’s football.
“We have spoken with Barcelona and with Aitana and we believe she needs rest,” Spanish national coach Montse Tome said at a press conference on Thursday. according to ESPN. “The national team has always paid attention to the health of the players first. As a coaching staff, we closely monitor all players in all competitions and try to call up those who can be at their best.”
Spain will play friendlies against Canada on October 25 and Italy on October 29.
Bonmati has had limited rest since the start of the 2022/23 season with Barcelona, making 37 appearances in all competitions. She quickly moved from Barcelona’s UEFA Women’s Champions League victory on June 3 to the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which kicked off on July 20. Bonmati was a crucial part of Spain’s first-ever Women’s World Cup victory, but less than a month after the August 2023 final, she played in Barcelona’s opening match of the 2023-2024 season.
The midfielder made 41 appearances for Barcelona last season while she kept up her national team commitments, and had about a month and a half off before Spain took part in this summer’s European Championship qualifiers and the Olympics. Bonmati then did not play for a month before the start of the 2024/25 season and has already played five games for Barcelona.
Bonmati is the highest profile player in women’s football to skip this month’s international matches, but far from the first to face the disadvantages of match crowds. A handful of players in men’s soccer did the same this month, with U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic missing the second of two friendlies to keep his minutes down. Belgian Kevin de Bruyne has completely given up his international commitments this month to rest.
Player welfare is a growing concern in both the women’s and men’s games, as players struggle both physically and mentally to keep up with the unprecedentedly busy fixture schedule. The continued growth of women’s football has led to an increase in the number of matches, including in the NWSL, where two new competitions – the Concacaf W Champions Cup and the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup – were introduced this year. FIFA also plans to launch a 16-team Women’s Club World Cup in early 2026, one of several tournaments aimed at mirroring the men’s game. Clubs like NJ/NY Gotham FC have expanded their high-end staffs in response to the packed schedule, a move that suits many players who worry that the amount of resources required may not be enough to handle a busy schedule.
The schedule is also fuller than ever in men’s football. FIFA’s expansion of the Club World Cup to 32 teams, the first edition of which will take place in the US next summer, has become a major point of contention, although the expansion of the UEFA Champions League to 36 teams has also been criticised. Clubs and players have also complained about FIFA’s decision to transform the World Cup into a 48-team competition from 2026.
FIFPRO, the global players’ union and the European leagues recently took legal action against FIFA over what they described as an ‘unsustainable’ schedule, which they say was arrived at without their consultation. Players in men’s football, including Manchester City’s Rodri, have also said players are “close” to going on strike due to the circumstances.