Bonmati illness adds to questions around Spain Euros bid
Spain are the favourites to win the women's European Championship this summer but star player Aitana Bonmati's illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable.
Having claimed the last two Ballon d'Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game's biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback.
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The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week and was subsequently hospitalised and diagnosed with viral meningitis.
Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with the squad on Monday but is unlikely to be ready to feature in Spain's first game, against Portugal on July 3.
"She is so important for us and we will wait for her, whatever happens, until the end," said Spain coach Montse Tome.
It brings to mind Alexia Putellas' severe knee injury just before Euro 2022, where Spain lost against eventual winners England in the quarter-finals, although Bonmati could yet play a key role for La Roja in Switzerland.
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Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Putellas has never quite been the same since, although she insists the injury actually helped her.
"I am a better Alexia now," she told reporters last week.
"I know myself much better now. I know what my qualities are and also what I have to work on. At the end of the day, I believe all suffering helps you evolve as a person and as an athlete.
"I know how to manage tough moments better now and how to enjoy the good ones as well."
With Patri Guijarro -- who sat out Spain's 2023 World Cup triumph in protest as part of a long-running feud between several players and the Spanish football federation -- at the base of midfield and Putellas and Bonmati ahead of her, the central trio are a pillar of strength for the team.
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With Barcelona this season they triumphed in Liga F and the Copa de la Reina, but were generally below their best and also fell to a shock defeat against Arsenal in the Champions League final.
Renee Slegers' team gave Spain's opposition this summer the blueprint to shutting down the trio, but whether any of them can manage it is another matter entirely.
"They are the conductors, the engine," explained Arsenal's Dutch coach, who flooded the midfield to stop Bonmati, Putellas and Guijarro from finding their rhythm.
Arsenal also recreated the movements of the trio in training and worked on how to frustrate them.
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- 'On my mind' -
After the recent disappointment of the Champions League final and her untimely injury in 2022, Putellas is determined to right those wrongs.
"I won't lie to you, I've had this tournament on my mind after getting injured the day before the last Euros," Putellas said.
"I'm really looking forward to it. I have been preparing for this moment for a long time, but above all I want to enjoy it and compete to win every game."
In a friendly against Japan, Barca youngster Vicky Lopez, 18, took Bonmati's place and scored in a 3-1 victory.
Spain dominated the ball and the game but still conceded, something of a recurring theme for them in recent months and another question mark for Tome to answer.
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Lopez's display, however, offered a potential solution to Bonmati's short-term absence.
"She is naturally gifted, a player who calls for more minutes with her work-rate, what she shows on the pitch calls for more game time... we've always trusted in her," said Tome.
"Vicky was good in the pressing and she managed to score a goal."
It was Lopez's third strike in 10 appearances for Spain and a string she has been working hard on adding to her bow.
Whether she is ready to step in and deliver on the biggest stage is unknown but we may soon find out.
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