“I simply feel happy when I’m on international duty,” explains Barbara Bonansea, neatly capturing her enduring love for the Azzurre. A leader on and off the pitch, the forward has established herself as one of the driving forces in Andrea Soncin’s squad.
Bonansea featured at the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™, registering a memorable brace – including a last-gasp winner – against Australia in Italy’s opening match. The tournament proved to be pivotal for the women’s football movement, particularly in Italy, as the national team laid solid foundations to garner success in subsequent years.
Following a disappointing campaign at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023™, Bonansea took on an influential role as Italy powered their way to the semi-finals of last year’s UEFA Women’s EURO, where they came within a whisker of eliminating England, only to bow out after extra time. On the strength of their exploits on both French and Swiss soil, the 34-year-old and her nation are now brimming with belief that they can mix it with the big hitters, and this conviction should stand them in good stead as they compete in the UEFA qualifying campaign to secure a FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027™ berth.
The Juventus attacker spoke to FIFA about her own and her team’s aspirations, what wearing the Italy shirt means to her and much more.
Barbara Bonansea: It’s definitely a tough group. Scandinavian teams aren’t easy to face, as they’re so well drilled. We’re ready for an exciting challenge against difficult opposition, but we all share one objective. We can’t take anything for granted and it won’t be easy, but we’ll aim for first place to achieve our World Cup dream.
Mistakes are part and parcel of football and sport. We’re still sorry about how things panned out in Australia and New Zealand. As players, together with all the staff, we aim to improve day in, day out and keep raising the bar. We have a shared dream and, when that’s the case, you always find something extra in the locker.
I can see plenty of smiles here with the national team and there’s a real sense of togetherness. We feel free to be ourselves and when that happens, it’s much easier to perform at your best, without fear and without worrying about judgement. I see a happy team, with players ready to make sacrifices for one another. Those are key ingredients if you want to clinch success.
The coach took over at a very complicated time. He managed to replenish confidence levels within a group that had lost belief. What struck me most was how meticulous his preparation work is. On top of that, we immediately felt his drive, his enthusiasm and his trust in us, which makes such a difference.
It gave us the belief that we’ve become a top team, but we also like being a side that can spring a surprise. We truly believe we can compete with anyone, which is so important. You can’t start out defeated, and we built this mentality together.
There’s also a lingering feeling of regret about that semi-final because we came agonisingly close to eliminating England. We still think about it. It would’ve been the icing on the cake, but it just didn’t quite happen. Every experience helps you grow. We’ll move forward and take heart from having reached the semi-finals and gone toe to toe with a great side who were the holders at the time.
It means so much to me. Wearing the national-team shirt to represent our country, which is the most beautiful of all, is every Italian’s dream. When I see my name on the squad list, it still feels ever so special. I treat every day with the national team as a gift. Being here is never to be taken as a given. I try to enjoy every training camp to the full because I’m so happy here.
Without the World Cup in 2019, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We have to remember where we came from and how we got here. That tournament gave credibility to the entire movement and generated momentum, boosting the number of people working in the Italian women’s game. The World Cup in France was a significant step towards that.
I still feel like a young girl at heart and I’m having so much fun. I’m a player just like any other. My dream has always been to win silverware with Italy. We’ve come close and the EURO almost felt like a victory because of what we accomplished. The whole world could see what Italy are about. Of course, it’d be incredible to win silverware. My other aim is to keep enjoying myself for as long as I can, which is the best thing you can do.
