Spain’s Ballon d’Or holder, Aitana Bonmati, is hospitalised with meningitis two weeks earlier than the Euro 2025 championships.
Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati, the two-time Ballon d’Or holder, has been hospitalised with viral meningitis lower than per week earlier than the Ladies’s European soccer championship begins.
Spain coach Montse Tome mentioned late on Friday that her star participant had felt ailing and was taken to a hospital in Madrid the place she examined optimistic for meningitis.
Spain’s group is about to journey to Switzerland on Sunday for the event. Its first sport is towards Portugal on Thursday in Bern. It’ll additionally face Belgium and Italy in Group B at Euro 2025.
“Aitana is an important participant for us and we’ll look forward to her,” Tome mentioned after Bonmati missed Friday’s pleasant towards Japan within the Spanish capital when Spain beat the guests 3-1.
Tome mentioned that Bonmati began feeling dangerous with a fever throughout apply early on Friday.
“She has authorised me to say that she has viral meningitis,” Tome mentioned. “The phrase is horrifying, however the physician tells me that she is beneath management. She’s going to stay within the hospital and we don’t know for a way lengthy.”
The 27-year-old Bonmati has received the highest particular person award for girls for the previous two years. The Barcelona participant was key in Spain successful the 2023 Ladies’s World Cup.
Bonmati’s imaginative and prescient, dribbling expertise, passing and objectives have additionally been very important to Barcelona reaching 5 consecutive Champions League finals, with the Catalan membership successful three titles.
Her absence would put extra stress on Alexia Putellas, herself a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, and fellow Barcelona midfielder Patricia Guijarro, to guide Spain. In opposition to Japan, Tome began 18-year-old Vicky Lopez rather than Bonmati.
Three years in the past, Putellas tore her ACL three days earlier than beginning the 2022 European Championship. Spain was eradicated within the quarterfinals with out its then-top participant.
Spain ought to nonetheless be favoured in its opener towards Portugal, a group it beat twice in April – together with a 7-1 dwelling victory – within the Nations League.