Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati has explained that her team is not motivated by a desire for revenge on Lyon over a heavy defeat in the 2019 Champions League final when the two giants of European club football meet in 2022’s showpiece event on Saturday.
Barça go into the game in Turin as reigning champions, having demolished a strong Chelsea side this time last season – Bonmati herself was player of the match that day.
But that victory for the Catalans came two years after being embarrassed by Lyon in the final of 2019, a game that saw Ada Hegerberg score a 16-minute hat-trick and Lyon lead 4-0 in half an hour.
Of course, Bonmati and her teammates are happy for a chance of a do-over, but a desire to be the best is what is motivating them rather than the idea of specifically getting Lyon back in some kind of tit for that exchange.
“There is no pressure. It is a final, it will be a very even and very difficult game, you can opt for either of the two parties,” the 24-year-old said, via Barcelona’s official websit.
“Lyon is one of the best teams in Europe in recent years and we have a lot of respect for them. It is a a pleasure and a pride to play with these players, they make you better. It is also a pride and a satisfaction to bring the Barça style to the whole world,” she added.
“Some days you win and others you lose. Only with our character we already know that we want to win and that is enough. We would like a rematch [against Lyon], but we don’t focus on that, we want to win because we want to be the best.”
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