San Diego Wave have signed Italy international Barbara Bonansea on loan from Juventus through June 2027.
The 35-year-old forward moves to the NWSL after nine years with Juventus, where she became the club’s all-time appearance leader and won 16 trophies. Her move to San Diego remains subject to receipt of her P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate. Bonansea will wear the number 21 shirt for the Wave.
Transfer snapshot
Player: Barbara Bonansea
From: Juventus
To: San Diego Wave
Transfer: Loan
Loan until: June 2027
Position: Forward
Age: 35
Nationality: Italy
Squad number: 21
Bonansea leaves Juventus after nine years
Bonansea’s move brings an end to a remarkable period with Juventus, at least for the duration of her loan. The forward joined Juventus ahead of the club’s inaugural 2017/18 season and went on to make 249 appearances, becoming their all-time appearance leader.
She also scored nearly 100 goals across all competitions and was responsible for several historic firsts. Bonansea scored Juventus’ first Serie A goal and later their first two goals in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Her nine seasons in Turin produced 16 trophies, including six Serie A Femminile titles. Before joining Juventus, Bonansea played for Torino and Brescia. Her time with Brescia included two league titles, two Coppa Italia victories and three Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
She was named Serie A Female Footballer of the Year in 2016 and was later selected for the FIFPRO Women’s World 11 in both 2020 and 2021.
San Diego add experience for playoff push
Barbara Bonansea arrives in San Diego with the Wave looking to strengthen their squad for the closing stages of the NWSL season. General Manager and Sporting Director Camille Ashton highlighted the Italian’s technical quality and experience of winning trophies when announcing the move.
For Bonansea, the transfer also represents a significant change after spending her entire senior club career in Italy.
The loan agreement runs until June 2027, meaning she could remain with San Diego into the early stages of next year’s NWSL campaign before returning to Juventus.
More than 100 appearances for Italy
Barbara Bonansea has also been a major figure for the Italian national team since making her senior debut in 2012. She has collected more than 100 caps and represented Italy at five major tournaments: the 2019 and 2023 Women’s World Cups and the 2017, 2022 and 2025 European Championships.
Most recently, she was part of the Italy team that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2025.
Bonansea has continued to represent her country during qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, giving the experienced forward another major international target during her loan spell in the United States.
Her move to San Diego now opens a new chapter in a career that has, until this point, been spent entirely in Italian club football.
Source: San Diego Wave
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