All the laurels in the world won’t bring you joy if you get them at the cost of your team’s loss. That’s exactly how Lionel Messi felt after being awarded the Player of the Tournament title after Germany defeated Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. “The truth is it doesn’t interest me at this moment,” admitted the soccer superstar after accepting the honor. And now, it looks like Aitana Bonmati will have to carry a similar burden.

Just hours ago, the Lionesses wriggled out a 3-1 victory over Spain to retain the Women’s Euro Cup in penalties. With the defeat, the Spaniards’ quest to win the coveted UEFA title came to an end despite a thunderous campaign at the international soccer competition. And yet, the 2x Ballon d’Or winner Bonmati had one silver lining even in the team’s loss.

ESPN FC took to X on July 27 to share how Bonmati will now be seated on the same bench as the Miami FC star after Spain’s loss to England tonight. “2x Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí is the latest player to have to accept the player of the tournament award after losing a final,” reads the caption of the social media update, as Bonmatí joins a long list of subdued heroes, which includes the likes of Lionel Messi and James Rodriguez.

Colombia’s Rodriguez won the Player of the Tournament award in 2024 despite the team suffering a defeat at the hands of Argentina. Lionel Messi probably chuckled, with flashbacks of himself winning the honor at the 2014 World Cup, the same tournament where the Colombian legend won the Golden Boot. Naturally, it is evident that Bonmati is in good company, even if it comes at the cost of having to cede ground at the Euro final.

However, the 27-year-old Spaniard’s painful facial expression while accepting the award would make many fans speculate that she would have gladly traded her personal achievement for her team’s glory. Her heartbreak makes more sense given that Spain looked dominant for the most part on Sunday. Moreover, with this year’s Euro final pitting the same two teams against each other that played in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Bonmati and her teammates were looking forward to repeating the scoreline from the match from two years ago. But all that hope went down the drain.

The regulation time (120 minutes) ended with a 1-1 draw, with Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo scoring one each for Spain and England, respectively. Then, it was time for penalties. And that’s where the Spanish team fumbled. England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saved two penalties, including Bonmati’s spotkick. Naturally, the Barcelona star was devastated.

“In the end, if you go to penalties, you’re playing for it in that moment. I apologise for my miss…Right now, with all of this frustration and pain, it’s cruel,” said a long-faced Aitana Bonmati after the loss. But she shouldn’t despair, for all was not bleak. Winning the Player of the Tournament award, the Spanish star now enters a club that boasts icons like Zinedine Zidane, the French legend who won the award at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, despite Italy running away with the team trophy.

But Bonmati has more similarities with the Argentine magician than she does with the others.

Can Aitana Bonmati match Messi’s legacy in other ways as well?

Before heading over to the USA as Miami FC’s poster boy, Lionel Messi spread his wings as Barcelona’s right winger. With numerous goals and accolades to his name as a member of the Spanish soccer club, it was there that Messi’s legacy was built. And it’s also the same club that helped Aitana Bonmati soar. Playing for Barca, the Catalanian has won three Champions League trophies, just one shy of Messi. In 2023, they shared the stage once again at the prestigious soccer award ceremony, where Messi won the men’s Ballon d’Or while Bonmati claimed the women’s version of the coveted trophy.

Bonmati was the frontrunner to win the award once again in 2024, and she bagged it despite strong competition from the USWNT camp. And it looked like the momentum and confidence she gained over the last two years spilled over to this year’s Euro Cup. Just weeks after being hospitalized with a meningitis scare, Bonmati came back strongly to find the back of the net against Germany in the semifinal match and punched the ticket to Sunday’s for La Roja.

Aitana scored one goal and one assist in the European tournament. However, despite her lack of scoring, Bonmati was crucial in helping Spain reach its first-ever continental final. While the campaign ended in heartbreak, the Barca star will have some boasting rights, nonetheless. How big of a motivation do you think the personal win will be the next time Aitana Bonmati takes to the soccer pitch? With the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup less than two years away, how do you believe she will feed on Sunday’s loss to help Spain retain the title and surpass Lionel Messi in this department? Tell us below!