Women’s football is growing fast, with record-breaking crowds and viewership figures reaching levels never seen before. But when it comes to salaries, even the world’s highest-paid female players still earn a fraction of what their male counterparts make.
At the top of the women’s earnings list is Aitana Bonmatí, the Spanish midfielder who earns around £835,000 per year, according to Insider and GiveMeSport. In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo earned a staggering $275 million (around £213 million) in the last 12 months, Forbes reported, which is roughly 214 times more than Bonmatí.
Despite the financial gap, Bonmatí’s achievements on the pitch are nothing short of extraordinary.
The 26-year-old has spent her entire senior career at Barcelona, coming through the club’s famous La Masia academy and becoming a key figure for both club and country.
Since making her first-team breakthrough in the 2018-19 season, she has gone on to win five Liga F titles, six Copas de la Reina, and three UEFA Women’s Champions League trophies.
In the 2022-23 campaign, she helped lead Barcelona to a historic quadruple and was named the MVP of the Champions League final.
She followed that with back-to-back Ballon d’Or Féminin wins in 2023 and 2024, as well as two Best FIFA Women’s Player awards.
She also made history in 2024 by becoming the first footballer to win the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year.
On the international stage, Bonmatí has been just as incredible. She played a massive part in Spain’s Women’s World Cup win in 2023, where she won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
She was also voted Player of the Finals during Spain’s triumph in the 2024 UEFA Women’s Nations League.
And Bonmatí has continued that impressive form into Euro 2025, most recently scoring the extra-time winner against Germany in Wednesday’s semi-final.
Her strike sent Spain into Sunday’s final, where they will face England in a rematch of their 2023 World Cup final clash.
The match-winning goal came just weeks after Bonmatí had been hospitalised with viral meningitis, casting serious doubt over her availability for the tournament.
But her recovery has been remarkable, and now she’s at the heart of Spain’s quest for another major trophy.
She turned down a £2.5 million move to Chelsea last year, instead signing a new contract with Barcelona until 2028.
