Concern for Spain star Bonmati: World's best in hospital ahead of European Championship with "uncertain" course
Aitana Bonmati has never played for any club other than FC Barcelona.
(Photo: IMAGO/Beautiful Sports)
Aitana Bonmati dominates women's football, winning the Ballon d'Or twice in a row from FC Barcelona. She's a world champion with Spain and, of course, a sure bet for the upcoming European Championship. But now the 27-year-old has to go to the hospital.
The world champions from Spain are among the favorites at the Women's European Football Championship (July 2-27) in Switzerland. The results immediately before the tournament speak in favor of coach Montse Tomé's team: Like the German national team, the Spanish women's team is in the Final Four of the Nations League. They also won their final friendly before the European Championship on Friday with a 3-1 victory against Japan. However, what is noticeable is that Aitana Bonmati is missing from the field and even from the squad.
The world's best player – winner of the 2023 and 2024 Ballon d'Or – was taken to the hospital. Her participation in the European Championship appears to be in jeopardy. The 27-year-old suffered a bout of fever, had to undergo medical examinations, and was ultimately diagnosed with viral meningitis, an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. From the hospital, the FC Barcelona attacking midfielder posted a photo in an Instagram story showing her lying in a hospital bed with a venous catheter while watching her teammates' match on television.
"We will wait for them until the end"After the victory against Japan, coach Tomé explained what had happened beforehand: "She couldn't train yesterday due to a few tenths of a degree of fever, and she didn't get better throughout the day; she was tired," adding that the tests and diagnosis had been completed. Tomé tried to reassure everyone: "The news is frightening, but the doctor tells me the situation is under control." However, it is unclear how long Bonmati will be out, the coach continued.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) also reported the development as "uncertain" in a brief statement. Viral meningitis usually clears up after one to two weeks – but then there would still be a training deficit. Whether Bonmati will be healthy for the European Championship seems questionable. Tomé explained: "She's a very important player for us, and we'll wait for her until the end."
The loss of one of the world's best players would be a major setback for the World Cup- and Nations League-winning team. "Aitana Bonmatí is a soccer player I fell completely in love with because of her style of play. For me, she's like a female [Andrés] Iniesta," said star coach Pep Guardiola about her. She was successful not only with Spain, but also with FC Barcelona. With the team, she won three Champions League titles, three league titles, and three cups. To date, she has played 78 times for Spain, scoring 30 goals.
The Spanish team travels to Switzerland on Sunday. They face Portugal in Group B on Thursday, and their other group matches are against Belgium and Italy.
Source: ntv.de, ara
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