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Newly established award recognizes the world’s top-performing coach
Washington, D.C. (09/04/2024) – Washington Spirit Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez has been named a nominee for the 2024 Ballon d’Or Women’s Team Coach of the Year, France Football announced today. In its inaugural year, this award honors the highest achieving women’s soccer coach from around the world.
Giráldez, who was hired as the Spirit Head Coach in January 2024, is one of six coaches nominated for the prestigious honor. At just 32 years old, Giráldez is the youngest nominee and the only coach currently with a United States-based club
Last season, Giráldez led FC Barcelona Femení to its second Champions League title in only three years as head coach, as well as an undefeated Liga F record (29-0-1) that included a staggering +127 goal differential. He helped the team achieve its first-ever quadruple, winning Liga F, UEFA Women’s Champions League, Copa de la Reina and Supercopa de España Femenina titles.
Giráldez came to the Spirit in June 2024 following the conclusion of the Barcelona season. Since taking over the mantle as Spirit head coach, the team is undefeated and holds a +6 (8-2) goal differential in NWSL play.
In addition to his teams’ successes, he coached 8 of 30 nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or Féminin award, including the Spirit’s star forward, Trinity Rodman. While this is his first Ballon d’Or nomination, Giráldez was named the IFFHS World’s Best Club Coach in 2023, a finalist for the UEFA Women’s Coach of the Year Award in 2023 and a finalist for FIFA’s The Best Women’s Coach award in early 2024.
The Spirit will take the pitch next at home against Sophia Smith and Portland Thorns FC on Saturday, September 7. Kicking off at 12:30 p.m. EDT, this weekend’s match will feature a celebration of the United States’ 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning players. Tickets to Saturday’s match are available at WashingtonSpirit.com/tickets.
About The Washington Spirit
The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. In 2024, the Spirit drafted an epic class of rookies who are already breaking records and wowing fans. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About The Ballon d’Or Féminin
The Ballon d’Or Féminin, which translates to ‘Women’s Golden Ball,’ is the premier football award presented to the top women’s player each year by French news magazine France Football. Since the award’s inception in 2018, the Ballon d’Or Féminin has been presented five times: to Olympique Lyonnais Féminin’s Ada Hegerberg in 2018, OL Reign’s Megan Rapinoe in 2019, FC Barcelona Femení’s Alexis Putellas in 2021 and 2022 and FC Barcelona Femení’s Aitana Bonmatí in 2023.
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