Barbera Bonansea For SoccerBible Volumes: 'All Power'

Barbara Bonansea, who has been with Juventus Women since its first season five years ago, is a pioneer for female football in Italy. Sure, she’s been a mainstay at the Turin club and one of its most important players from the beginning, scoring Juve Women’s first-ever goal in Serie A as well as their first Champions League goal, but more than that she’s also been a catalyst in the push to make the women’s game professional in Italy, something that is finally set to happen from the coming 22/23 season. It’s arguably the biggest result in the history of the women’s game in the country, and for Bonansea, it’s a dream to see it come about in her playing career. Having just signed a contract extension that will see her remain with the Bianconeri until 2024, the opportunity to now build on the club’s five consecutive Scudettos as a professional is one to be relished.

Despite the achievements both in a performance and political sense though it’s a pure love of the game that has seen her rise to prominence, both at club level and on the international scene. A journey like so many others, born from a passion for playing and evolved with a steely determination, looks set to move on to the next level, and it all starts this summer.

From your perspective, how would you describe the landscape of women’s football in Italy?

So, now we have grown a lot and since I started playing there has been several changes.  I think the path we have taken is the good one. From next year, we will be professionals so I think progress has been made;  I believe in any case that we will have to keep fighting for our rights but I think we are doing well and that our football is on the right path.

What was it like growing up for you? How accessible was football? 

My childhood was a happy childhood. I started playing football when I started walking, so a lasting relationship. I started playing in the backyard with my dad and my brother. My brother is three years older than me and was already playing, so I learned a little from him and from my dad. Then I always went to see his trainings at the pitch in my country and then, after a while, even if there were no girls in his team, my brother's coach told me "Hey, why are you always here? Since you are out there watching, come train with us". My real relationship with football started on that day.

Has the game changed? Can you feel that growth of the sport?

A few years have passed, and things have changed a lot and, if I look at myself since I moved from my hometown to play in Brescia until now, and it's been about ten years, it has really changed a lot. I always say that when I moved to Brescia I began to understand that I could be a football player but, in reality, there was practically nothing of what there is now. We trained in the pitches that were available and now being at Juventus is another step up –  having everything available makes me understand how lucky I am and how much has changed in 10 years.

What are the hurdles you’ve faced as a child wanting to get into football and then as an adult trying to make a living from it? Can you describe the challenges?

I had a happy childhood and I was very lucky because I didn't find any real obstacle. My family has always supported me, even when I was little. Even if at first my mum wondered why I chose football because I had to play with all men, boys and children. The only thing I had to face was the prejudices and the words that were said when I went to play against other teams. In the end, my friends were the same friends I went to school with, so it was normal for them to play with me.

Instead, when I went to play with the other teams it was a bit of a surprise and I heard the parents from outside saying "Why does my son have to play against a girl?". For them it was strange, but then, when I played, I was as good as their children and, at the end of the games, I had become one of them. This is some of what I had to face as a child. Nothing so serious, however, I was disappointed that it was the parents who created this distance between me, a girl, and their children. Instead, for the children, there was no problem at all.

However the hardest thing for me was not being a professional athlete on paper – From 1 July we will be considered professional. For Juventus I always was and I am. I can train every day with all the privileges one can have and not being recognised as such was a bit strange. From other points of view, there are always prejudices, however, with time, I hope we will go in the right direction, that we will accept the fact that people can do what they want and that we women can easily play football.

How does it feel to see this movement growing and being such a strong part of that?

It’s great and I am very proud to be part of this group, to the extent that, sometimes, I wish I was born 10 years later, 15 even so that I could fully live my professional career and benefit from all the privileges that today’s young girls will have. However, if I think about it deeply, I am extremely proud to have fought to reach this point. I think of the people who stopped recently and are not able to live this change. So, I am truly happy to be here and to have done everything I could, together with my team mates, to fight for the rights we deserve to have, I am very happy about this.

What have your personal highs been along the way? What memories jump out when you close your eyes?

Wow…it’s been so many years I’ve been playing football. In the end, if I think of what I did in the past, pictures of the teams I’ve been part of come to mind. For example, when I was little,  I played just because it was fun. I played every day and, when the training would end, I would go play football at the park, at home, I always played. I have a good memory of when I started playing with girls which, for me, was a surprise. I did not know that women’s football existed and that there were other girls like me. Those were the years I became a woman and I had a lot of fun, I built friendships and this is how I remember the moments in Torino – a moment of growth and a moment where I found the true Barbara and true friendships.

Also, I connect Brescia with the time I found out I could be a football player. I remember it with a big smile because Brescia has been a home to me and we all had a good time, I remember the victories, the fun times. If I close my eyes, I think of the national team, the world cup, that for us was extremely important.

If I think of Juventus I think of bianconeri (white-black), they’re my favourite colours.

All that graft, all that determination – does it feel like it’s paying off now when you see such positivity around the game?

To tell you the truth, I’d be happy even to just play football. But, if we have all this happening around us it is because we deserve it, because it’s beautiful and because we express a passion that probably someone had forgotten about. This truly makes me happy and, in the end, determination always brings you somewhere. We are happy to see all this interest, it’s nice.

Can you tell us about the sacrifices you’ve had to make in search for this career?

Honestly, none. I always say that playing football is the thing that I enjoy the most and what makes me feel really myself, so everything I’ve done is out of enjoyment. Sure, if I look back at my past I never went out with friends because I did not have the time. I had to go to school and then travel one hour to go to training with my dad. He also made some sacrifices. He had to bring me to the pitch, I had to train and then, we went back home at 10:30pm, we ate dinner and went to sleep. These were my days back then. I studied in the car and on Saturday, when the others went out, I went to play football. However, this never felt bad; on the contrary, I considered myself lucky to be able to do what I loved and it was never heavy on me. Now it became my job and, when your job is something you love, you are extremely lucky.

Perfecting the knuckleball is one obvious example of your determination to keep improving. To what extent do you believe in that constant work ethic to keep pushing you forward?

I strongly believe in it. I think many people are born with talent, but if people don’t nurture it, they can’t go deep/till the end. All the achievements my team and I attained are due to a lot of hard work and team work, so I do believe in it deeply. I also believe that, now that I am older, I have much improvement to make and many things to perfect in my game and way of playing football.

You have also graduated and currently enrolled in a master’s degree. That’s an incredible achievement. Can you tell us about that process? How hard was it to study and play at the same time?

It wasn’t easy, it took me a few years, but when I start something, I never leave it unfinished. So it did take me some time but I managed to graduate which wasn’t easy but, in the end, if you really want to do something, you’ll end up accomplishing it. There are 24 hours in a day, in some you may sleep, in others you commit to something. When I don’t play football, I like to study, I have always liked knowing and discovering so I have always done it with pleasure. My degree, I can’t tell you what I’d like to do with it. I think and I hope I will stay in the football sector and that I will help grow women’s football because I think who has lived it in first person can contribute with something more.

What have been the biggest milestones for the industry do you think? What has made them so pivotal?

As I said before, we as female football players, have always been united and in agreement to try and obtain what we deserved. If we thought something wasn’t fair, we gathered and discussed and… we even went on a strike for this. It’s important to always stick together and I believe that we achieved great results and the most important is that of today, women’s football professionalism. Of course, our unity wasn’t enough, there were other entities like the Federation, that helped us reach this point. However, I do believe that sticking together can bring to great accomplishments.

Do you think you had a direct impact? Whether that’s on fans or the game as a whole?

I don’t know! I only play football but it’s always so nice when young girls come to tell me I am their idol or that they see themselves in me, it’s really nice. So it means I’ve done something good. I love seeing many people and many women come to see us play. Not just me, but all of us, created something special and probably we helped some women who might have felt inadequate and incapable of doing what they wanted. By looking at us, maybe they found the strength to do something they didn’t think they were capable of.

Do you think about your legacy at all? The next generations after yours and the game you want them to experience?

I’d want to let them experience football in a natural and, mostly, passionate way. I’d want them to be true to themselves, to experience the locker rooms and the pitch freely. I think football is getting more and more attention by the media and journalists which brings about more critics and judgements by people. We are exposed to many things, and I see today’s young girls as quite vulnerable, as I am and was too, but when I was younger there wasn’t as much interest. So I’d want to protect them from these difficulties and try to help them in a task that I don’t think is easy, to always see them smile at trainings every day and not to believe that things come to us by chance, because that’s not the case.

How do you think fans perceive Barabara Bonansea?

Maybe they see in me the determination and desire to always head toward the goal and score. Maybe they also see me as available to speak with them and I always thank them because if we are able to have a great audience, it is thanks to the fans. At the end of the match, I always love to hear their thoughts, if they had fun.

Talking of experiences – how much has football opened your mind off the pitch?

I think football made me who I am today. I was very shy and surly, and I believe football shaped my character and helped me connect with people. It helped me understand it’s ok to make mistakes and that there can be days when you feel angry and there’s people in the locker rooms that can help you get over the anger. To travel and to play with people of many different nationalities and cultures is something amazing. In the end, by playing football, you can discover the world and I always try to observe everything, to grasp all the learnings that come from the people of other countries.   

Music is big for you, isn’t it? How much is it an outlet for you?

I love music and I listen to all of it and the moment I listen to it the most is when I’m in the car. I always travel a little to get to the pitch and to trainings and it really helps me concentrate but it is not so much an outlet for me. The sofa is an outlet, total relaxation is an outlet for me.

What are you listening to right now? What will you take into the summer?

I am currently listening to Sanremo’s music and always listen to the latest English and Spanish hits, like Reggaeton.

This is an important summer for football and sport together. How excited are you for it?

I am excited to see how this international event will be, but I am also curious to see how we will be because I think women’s football is rapidly growing and I like to see how we will prove worthy of this growth. We are a great group and a good team, it’s not easy to find both things so I expect to have a lot of fun in this European Championship and to go forward because, as I said, I believe we make a great team.

How do you feel about representing your country?

This is one of the most amazing feelings I’d want everyone to try because it’s something really strange, especially during the anthem. When we sing the anthem, I start looking around, seeing who’s there and seeing the fans’ faces. It’s amazing to see the emotion in the eyes of the people who come see us play, especially the young kids and the elderly because I think that particular moment is one of the greatest moments that unites the whole of Italy. Feeling cheered on by all the Italians is something incredible.

If there’s one positive thing you really want to push for in football, what would it be?

The freedom of play, the freedom to be true to oneself and not to always feel judged by others because, in the end, it’s a sport, it will become our job, but it’s a sport and sports are what make you feel free so you must not feel judged by anyone not even by a mark you might be given because this can really crush you. It’s not easy. So I believe that I’d bring a bit more freedom in football.

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