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When Spain's World Cup winner Aitana Bonmatí strode to the stage to collect her well-deserved Ballon d'Or Féminin award on Monday night, there was a sense of disrespect. And not for the first time.
The moment should have been a celebration of women's football, though it was anything but. How could it be when the ceremony was scheduled during a women's international window? Most of the nominees were either unable or not allowed to attend due to Nations League commitments or Olympic qualifiers the following day. Bonmati was there to represent the women's game -- and she had to leave Spain camp between games and rush back before facing Switzerland in Zurich on Tuesday night -- but her Ballon d'Or was placed on stage after she arrived by an awkward stagehand as an afterthought; the prize seemingly forgotten on the sidelines.