Reina Bonta

Reina Gabriela Villafañe Bonta (born April 17, 1999) is a professional footballer and filmmaker who plays as a center-back for Brazilian Série A1 club Santos FC. Born in the United States, she represents the Philippines women's national team.[1]

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Villafañe and the surname or paternal family name is Bonta.
Reina Bonta
Personal information
Full name Reina Gabriela Villafañe Bonta
Date of birth (1999-04-17) April 17, 1999
Place of birth New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Center-back
Team information
Current team
 Santos
Number 22
Youth career
Bishop O'Dowd High School
De Anza Force
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 Yale Bulldogs 57 (2)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 San Francisco Nighthawks 0 (0)
2023– Santos 7 (0)
International career‡
2022– Philippines 11 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 03:20; 13 March 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10:35; 5 August 2023 (UTC)

Early life

Bonta was born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in Alameda, California to a mixed-race Filipino American father originally from Quezon City and a Nuyorican mother with Black African ancestry. Her paternal grandfather was born in the United States, her paternal grandmother in the Philippines and her maternal grandparents in Puerto Rico.[2]

Career

College career

Like her dad, Bonta played collegiate soccer at Yale University.[3][4]

Santos

On March 1, 2023, it was announced that Bonta joined Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino club Santos.[5]

International career

Bonta is eligible to represent either United States (where she was born), Philippines (where her father was born) or Puerto Rico (where her maternal grandparents were born) at the international level.

Philippines

In September 2022, Bonta received a call-up from the Philippines for a friendly against New Zealand.[6] The match ended in a 2–1 defeat for the Philippines, Bonta remained on the bench for the entirety of the match.[7][8] A month later, she was once again called-up for a training camp in Costa Rica.[9][10][11] She made her debut for the Philippines in a 1–1 draw against Costa Rica, coming in as a substitute replacing Jessika Cowart on the 85th minute of the match.[12]

Bonta continued to represent the Philippines at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[13]

Personal life

Bonta belongs to a family of politicians. Her father Rob, currently serves as the attorney general of California while her mother Mia currently serves as a member of the California State Assembly.

Bonta's short film, Lahi, premiered at the 2022 Hawai'i International Film Festival.[14]

References
  1. "'Lahi': Reina Bonta Talks About How The Multi-Generational Fil-Am Experience Inspired Directorial Debut". asianjournal.com.
  2. "Californian Reina Bonta on playing for Brazil's Santos FC and the Philippines: 'Experiencing something very special'". May 23, 2023.
  3. "Reina Bonta - 2021 - Women's Soccer - Yale University". yalebulldogs.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  4. "Filipinas footballer Reina Bonta's debut film screens in Hawai'i Int'l Film Fest". goodnewspilipinas.com.
  5. "Sereias da Vila acertam mais um reforço internacional para a temporada 2023" [Sereias da Vila have another international addition for the 2023 season] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Santos FC. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  6. del Carmen, Lorenzo (September 4, 2022). "Chandler McDaniel returns as four newcomers join Filipinas for NZL friendly". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  7. "New Zealand vs. Philippines Match Report – Wednesday September 7, 2022". fbref.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  8. Terrado, Jonas (September 8, 2022). "Stajcic not satisfied with just moral victories". Inquirer. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  9. del Carmen, Lorenzo (October 2, 2022). "Filipinas retain core for Costa Rica friendlies". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  10. Rosal, Dale (October 3, 2022). "Costa Rica training camp on for Filipinas". Cebu Daily News via Inquirer. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  11. Morales, Luisa (October 7, 2022). "Filipinas looking forward to Costa Rica 'challenge' in World Cup build-up". PhilStar Global. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  12. "Costa Rica vs. Philippines Match Report – Friday October 7, 2022". fbref.com. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  13. Torrez, James (July 19, 2023). "Daughter of California AG, lawmaker represents Philippines in FIFA Women's World Cup". KTVU FOX 2. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  14. Mendoza, Jim (November 1, 2022). "Hawaii-based short film that got accolades on film festival circuit makes its HIFF debut". Hawai'i News Now. Retrieved July 27, 2023.


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