MANCHESTER CITY’S Erling Haaland and Spain’s World Cup-winning star Aitana Bonmati won the Uefa Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year prizes respectively at a ceremony in Monaco on Thursday.
Norway striker Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 games to help City win the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup, while Bonmati inspired Spain to World Cup glory earlier this month.
Haaland’s achievements in his first season at City after joining from Borussia Dortmund saw him take the men’s award, for which his club colleague Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi were also shortlisted.
Messi was at Paris Saint-Germain last season but has since left to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
“I am kind of living a dream. This was my dream when I was young, so to be able to do this together with my teammates is something special,” Haaland, 23, said after collecting his award.
Bonmati, 25, starred as Barcelona won the Women’s Champions League last season and was then named player of the tournament for her role in Spain’s World Cup triumph in Australia and New Zealand.
She pipped her Spain teammate Olga Carmona, scorer of the winning goal in the World Cup final against England, and Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr to win the Uefa prize.
“It was a season I will never forget,” Bonmati said.
Spain coach Jorge Vilda missed out to England manager Sarina Wiegman for the women’s coach of the year prize.
Pep Guardiola won the men’s coach of the year award after leading City to the treble.
Meanwhile, Wiegman dedicated her prize to the Spain women’s team amid the sexism scandal engulfing Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales.
“We all know the issues around the Spanish team, and that really hurts me as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife,” Wiegman said after collecting her award at a ceremony in Monaco.
“There is still a long way to go in women’s football and in society, and I would like to dedicate this award to the Spanish team, who played such great football in the World Cup.
“This team deserves to be celebrated and deserves to be listened to.”
Spain’s Women’s World Cup triumph in Sydney earlier this month, when they beat Wiegman’s England in the final, has been overshadowed by Rubiales’s forced kiss on the lips of midfielder Jenni Hermoso after the game.
Fifa have provisionally suspended Rubiales for 90 days, while prosecutors in Spain have opened an investigation into his behaviour and the Spanish football federation have asked him to resign.
“Thanks to Sarina for her words,” said Spain’s Aitana Bonmati after winning the award for Uefa women’s player of the year.
“These are not very good times just now for Spanish football.
“We have just won the World Cup but that is not really being spoken about because things have happened that I wish were not happening.
“As a society, we must not allow such abuses of power in a working relationship or such a lack of respect.”
