Barca the team others look up to now: Bonmati

New Straits Times

24-05-2025

LISBON: Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati said the Catalans have become the side which other teams look up to now, ahead of the women's Champions League final clash against Arsenal on Saturday.
French giants Lyon are the record eight-time winners of the competition but were beaten in last year's final by Barca and last won in 2022.
By contrast Bonmati's Barcelona have won three of the last four editions of the competition and reached six finals in seven years, becoming Europe's dominant force.
"I don't want to compare us with Lyon, they had their path and now we have our path," Bonmati told a news conference Friday.
"We used to speak very well of them, for us they were a mirror in the past, and now we can tell we are the mirror, for a lot of teams.
"We are proud of our path and we will try to be (even) more 'historical' tomorrow."
Barcelona face Arsenal at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, with the Gunners reaching the final for the first time since winning the competition in 2007, back when it was the UEFA Women's Cup.
It is the Catalans' 100th match in European competition, 12 years after they played their first, also against Arsenal.
Barcelona were thrashed 7-0 over two legs in the round of 32 in the 2012-13 Champions League by the English side, with Alexia Putellas the only survivor of that squad.
"There's no need to remind me of the scoreline," laughed Putellas, who like Bonmati is a two-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"It was the first European game in the history of Barca Femeni, it was impossible to imagine then all that would come after... it's incredible the change we've had, and the evolution.
"We became professional relatively recently and we have got to these six finals. I consider myself privileged to have lived this journey.
"It's a nice anecdote that the first game was against Arsenal and tomorrow's is too, with this trophy on the line."
Barcelona were criticised earlier in the season after suffering two league defeats against Levante and Real Madrid, with the latter the first time they have ever suffered a loss against their Clasico rival.
However Putellas said the team were arriving in excellent shape to face Renee Slegers' side, after dispatching English treble-winners Chelsea in the semi-finals 8-2 on aggregate.
"We arrive (at the final) with very good feelings, a lot of energy, we've worked well throughout the year," said Putellas.
"We're feeling good in terms of our game play and also on a physical level."
However she said that just because Barca have a rich recent history, they would not be taking a victory for granted.
"We've won three Champions Leagues but that doesn't mean we start 1-0 up tomorrow," added the playmaker.
"We'll leave our skins out there to win the trophy."
Even though Arsenal are the underdogs on Saturday, they dispatched Lyon with an impressive 4-1 semi-final second leg triumph in France.
"A final is a bit unpredictable, there are things you can't control," added Putellas.
"They are in the final for a reason, scoring four against Lyon and knocking out Real Madrid too, but we feel if we're at our best, things will go well for us."
Barcelona won the quadruple last season under Jonatan Giraldez, who left at the end of the season to be replaced by Pere Romeu.
Although the team took some time to find their best level, they are in the running for repeating that feat, having already claimed Liga F and the Spanish Super Cup.
"It's a special game because it's a final," said the coach.
"This team has experience from previous finals, we've been working a lot this week and I like that, I've been speaking to all the staff... and it gives me the (feeling of) security that we'll do well.
"We have to go out there to play a good game and try to dominate." — AFP