Three-time Ballon d’Or winner joins Gatorade’s roster of top football talent as the brand continues to champion the preparation, consistency and sports science behind elite performance.
Key Takeaways
- Ahead of the new football season, three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí joins Team Gatorade, bringing together one of the world’s leading footballers with a brand built on helping athletes prepare, perform and recover.
- Through Gatorade’s global Is It In You? platform, Bonmatí will spotlight the mindset, preparation, hydration and sports science behind sustained success.
- The partnership will extend across media, digital and social content throughout the season, celebrating the work behind elite performance.
PURCHASE, N.Y., Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — For decades, Gatorade has supported footballers at every level across the globe, from local pitches to the world’s biggest stages. Ahead of the new football season and following in the footsteps of football greats like Vinícius Júnior, Julián Álvarez and Luis Díaz, the brand welcomes three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí to Team Gatorade, bringing together one of the game’s most accomplished players with a brand built on helping athletes prepare, perform and recover through science-based hydration.
As a Spain international and FC Barcelona midfielder, Bonmatí has established herself as one of football’s defining players, driven by an unwavering commitment to improvement. While supporters see the trophies, the performances and the moments that define a career, her success has been built on the work that happens long before kick-off – the preparation, recovery, consistency and discipline required to compete at the highest level.
The partnership forms part of Gatorade’s global Is It In You? platform, which celebrates the work behind performance. Together, Bonmatí and Gatorade will shine a light on the daily habits that underpin elite sport, encouraging athletes to trust the preparation that allows them to perform when it matters most.
Built on Preparation
Joining Team Gatorade marks the next chapter in Bonmatí’s career as she prepares for another season competing at the highest level of world football. Through the partnership, she will share the mindset, routines and habits that have helped her sustain success throughout her career, alongside the role science-based hydration plays in supporting training, recovery and matchday performance.
The partnership will also create opportunities to highlight the importance of understanding the unique physiological needs of female athletes and the role sports science can play in helping athletes prepare for the demands of a long season.
“People remember the ninety minutes. They remember the trophies, the goals and the moments that define a career. What they don’t always remember is everything that comes before them. Every training session. Every recovery session. Every choice you make to be ready for the next challenge. I call it invisible training and that is what has shaped me as a player. That is what has allowed me to keep improving. Joining Team Gatorade feels natural because we share the same belief – that there are no shortcuts. Only preparation. Only consistency. That is the story of my career.” – Aitana Bonmatí, Gatorade athlete
Supporting Performance Through Sports Science
Gatorade has helped athletes prepare for competition through the expertise of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI). Working alongside elite athletes and teams around the world, GSSI translates decades of hydration and performance research into practical insights that help athletes better understand their individual needs.
Elite female football, players can lose between one and one and half litres of fluid through sweat during a 90-minute match1,2, with hydration needs varying significantly between individuals. These insights underpin Gatorade’s science-backed approach to hydration, helping athletes prepare for training, competition and recovery through science-based hydration strategies.
As the newest member of Team Gatorade, Bonmatí joins a global roster of athletes who benefit from the brand’s long-standing commitment to sports science and innovation. This partnership brings together Bonmatí’s pursuit of peak performance and Gatorade’s expertise in sports science, highlighting the role hydration plays in preparation, performance, and recovery at every level of sport – from professionals to everyday athletes – and how Gatorade brings that expertise to athletes, helping them perform at their best.
“The best athletes make the extraordinary look effortless. What people don’t always see is the discipline, preparation and consistency behind every performance. Aitana has set the standard in world football not only through her talent, but through her relentless commitment to improving every day. That’s why she’s such a natural fit for Team Gatorade. Through the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, we’ve spent decades helping athletes better understand how science-backed hydration can support performance, training and recovery. We’re proud to welcome Aitana to Team Gatorade as we continue championing the preparation, sports science and mindset that help athletes perform at their best when it matters most.” – Eugene Willemsen, CEO, International Beverages, PepsiCo
About Gatorade
Gatorade, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), has been built on more than 61 years of studying athletes and the science of sweat. Trusted by athletes at every level, from community pitches to the world’s most prestigious international stages, across more than 80 countries worldwide, Gatorade’s scientifically formulated range of hydration and performance products is designed to replace what athletes lose and fuel what they need to perform at their best. For more information, visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly $94 billion in net revenue in 2025, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and drinks, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that places sustainability at the center of our business strategy, seeking to drive growth and build a stronger, more resilient future for PepsiCo and the communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
1 Barnes KA, et al. (2019). Normative Data for Sweating Rate, Sweat Sodium Concentration, and Sweat Sodium Loss in Athletes: An Update and Analysis by Sport. Journal of Sports Sciences. Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
2Tarnowski CA, Rollo I, Carter JM, Lizarraga-Dallo MA, Oliva MP, Clifford T, James LJ, Randell RK. Fluid Balance and Carbohydrate Intake of Elite Female Soccer Players during Training and Competition. Nutrients. 2022 Aug 3;14(15):3188. doi: 10.3390/nu14153188. PMID: 35956363; PMCID: PMC9370343.
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