Aitana Bonmati's illness is a cruel blow for Spain, who have been here before on the eve of a Euros

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2 days ago

Aitana Bonmati's illness is a cruel blow for Spain, who have been here before on the eve of a Euros
'Aitana (Bonmati) has viral meningitis,' Montse Tome announced after Spain's final pre-European Championship friendly, against Japan. 'She is a very important player and we will wait for her until the end.'
This is how Tome announced Bonmati's hospitalisation just a few days before the start of the Euros in Switzerland. While her team-mates were in action on Friday, Bonmati shared a photo on Instagram showing herself lying in a hospital bed.
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Neither the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) nor the player's entourage have given a timeline for her return, and the priority right now is for her to recover well, understanding that her health must come first. But what does this mean for her and for Spain?
The reality is there is now a significant question mark over what role — if any — she will be able to play at these Euros. According to the British National Health Service, viral meningitis typically takes seven to 10 days to fully recover from.
Her progress will determine her return, and Tome is prepared to wait for her. Pending developments in the coming days, it should be noted that Article 57.04 of the UEFA competition regulations would allow Spain to replace the player up to 24 hours before the tournament begins on Wednesday. Spain's first match is against Portugal on Thursday.
Tome will now have to consider what happens if she loses one of her most important players, the Ballon d'Or winner. Vicky Lopez is the most natural direct replacement in the starting XI, or Tome might consider using Mariona Caldentey in a more withdrawn role.
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In a way, this is a kind of deja vu from 2022. Back then, one day before the start of the Euros in England, then Ballon d'Or holder Alexia Putellas injured her anterior cruciate ligament and had to withdraw from the squad.
Now, while it is true that Bonmati has not been injured and could recover in time to be available for the group stage, her presence is still unknown.
It is inevitable that parallels will be drawn with what happened at that time, given the importance of both players and the fact it is the same competition, the only major football tournament Spain have yet to win.
Missing out on the Euros would be a huge blow for Bonmati, as she would lose the opportunity — for now at least — to add the only major title she has not won. With Barcelona, she has won everything at club level and also individually, including the past two Ballons d'Or.
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For Spain, the loss would be huge. Bonmati is a player who rises to the occasion. She thrives in big games and, even in a season that was not her best in Liga F, she was named the best player in the Champions League.
Bonmati has great vision, is capable of seeing spaces where no one else can and is one of the most ambitious minds on the team. She is a player with the ability to unbalance opponents and break through defensive lines with passes and dribbling.
Given the style of play of Tome's team, this would be a particularly significant loss due to the position Bonmati plays. Midfield is the hallmark of both Barca and Spain and their three midfielders set the tempo, create the play and provide the balance between attack and defence. All their play goes through them.
There is, at least, some consolation for Tome. Patri Guijarro is back in the national team — she missed the World Cup due to the 'Las 15' controversy, in which 15 players asked not to be called up until there were changes in the RFEF — and Putellas has regained her form and put her injury and the physical problems that came with it firmly behind her, so Bonmati's absence would be less noticeable now than it would have been at the World Cup. Back then, there was no Guijarro and Putellas was a bit-part player as she worked her way back from injury.
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Even so, Bonmati is a decisive player and her absence would be a significant problem for Spain. While it might boost other teams' prospects, losing the world's best player would also be a significant blow for the tournament as a whole.
Now, we all wait to see how quickly she recovers.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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