'Been Preparing For This Moment': Alexia Putellas Back In Spain Squad For Euro 2025

Last Updated:July 01, 2025, 13:00 IST

Alexia Putellas is set to lead Spain in Euro 2025 after recovering from a knee injury. Spain, winners of World Cup 2023 and Nations League 2024, aims for its first Euro title.

Alexia Putellas is back in training. (AP)

Alexia Putellas has less than fond memories of the last Women’s European Championship, when she tore a knee ligament on the eve of the tournament in England three years ago.

Things are different now as Spain gears up for Euro 2025 in Switzerland, with Putellas declaring she’s better than ever and ready to lead Spain to its first title in the competition.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s a competition that I had in my sights after the injury I suffered just before the start of the last Euro," she said. “I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time and I want to enjoy it."

The two-time world player of the year was coming off one of her most impressive seasons when she injured her left knee during a practice session just days before Spain’s opener at Euro 2022. This injury sidelined her for nearly a year and hampered Spain’s chances in the tournament, where it was ousted by England in the quarterfinals.

Putellas says she has made significant strides since then, even as other Spanish players like Aitana Bonmatí — a two-time Ballon d’Or winner herself — have risen to stardom.

“Without a doubt, I’m a better Alexia," she said. “I know myself a lot better, I know my qualities, I know what I have been working on. In the end, all the suffering makes you evolve as a person and as an athlete. I’ve learned to manage the bad moments a lot better, as well as the good moments."

Putellas has had another stellar season and is once again among the favourites for the world player of the year award. She excelled as Barcelona clinched the domestic treble and reached another Champions League final.

“The individual award is not something too important for me," the 31-year-old Putellas said. “But it would show that you’ve done something good and, from where I’m coming from — from the lowest of the lowest after the injury — it would give some value to the effort that was put into the recovery. We’ll see, but the most important thing is to win the Euro."

Bonmatí, who won the last two world player of the year awards, is currently facing her own challenges after falling ill with viral meningitis just a few days before Spain travelled to Switzerland for the tournament. Bonmatí was released from the hospital on Sunday to rejoin the national squad, but it remains unclear how much she will participate.

Spain will kick off its tournament Thursday against Portugal. The team will also face Belgium and Italy in Group B. Spain’s best result in the European tournament was a semifinals appearance in 1997.

Spain has cemented its status as a powerhouse in women’s football by winning the World Cup in 2023 and the inaugural Women’s Nations League in 2024.

However, they narrowly missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics, losing to Brazil in the semifinals and to Germany in the bronze-medal match.

“It’s never easy to win a Euro," Putellas said. “We need to have maximum respect toward the other nations. There are great teams participating. But we have a lot of faith in our team, and if we give our best we will be that much closer to winning."

With AP Inputs

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Location :

Madrid, Spain

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