Aitana, simply, “The Best”

As the renowned singer from Almería once said in one of those songs we have all danced to, sung, and even enjoyed in a football stadium after a Spain victory at the last Euros: “And Spaaaaain is the beeeest”.
This song by Manolo Escobar, dated 1975, could well have been a prediction of what was experienced at the FIFA “The Best” Gala, which took place on the night of 17 December in Doha, and, by extension, a good summary of the 2024 footballing year in our country.
The votes for this award, divided into four parts with equal weighting in the final result, are made up of the captains of the national teams, the coaches, specialist journalists, and the fans registered on FIFA.com who correctly completed their vote.
After being recognised as the best player in the world at the last Ballon d’Or gala, Aitana Bonmatí has now been awarded the “The Best” prize for the second consecutive year. The Spanish midfielder also shares a place in the FIFA Best XI with Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle, Patri Guijarro and Salma Paralluelo.
Aitana thus concludes a season in which she reached the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics and won the Nations League with Spain, as well as lifting the domestic League, Cup, and Super Cup titles and the Champions League with FC Barcelona.
In the men’s category, Dani Carvajal, Lamine Yamal and Rodrigo Hernández were included in the Team of the Year, with all three of our footballers also nominated as the best player of the year.
In addition to the award winners, the national coach and European Champion, Luis de la Fuente, was part of the final selection as best coach, and both Unai Simón and David Raya were nominated among the seven best goalkeepers of the year.
A year of successes and a year of awards for a 2024 that we will not forget.