Alexia Putellas returns to the Spanish national team after a devastating ACL injury
The two-time Ballon d'Or winner picked up an ACL injury just before the 2022 Euro campaign, ruling her out of the tournament and most of the 2022/24 season. She has since recovered from the ACL injury after multiple surgeries and has made a return to the Spanish international team, for this Summer’s World Cup.
The Barcelona star has won eight Copas de la Reina, seven league titles, two Supercopas de Espana and a Champions League title. Putellas is regarded as one of the greatest female footballers of all time, and she is desperate to get her hands on a World Cup trophy.
The Spanish women’s team have only been in the World Cup three times previously and have never won the competition.
Alexia Putellas is one of the ‘rebel 15’ who has returned to the international squad. The ‘rebel 15’ is 15 players who refused to play international football for Spain under Jorge Vilda’s management. However, Putellas is one of three players to return to international duty for this summers World Cup. This is alongside Alexia’s Barcelona teammates; Aitana Bonmati and Mariona Caldentey, who return to the Spanish squad for the World Cup, after not playing for their nation since last Autumn.
Relations between Jorge Vilda and the Spanish international team have been slowly deteriorating since Spain got beaten by England in the quarter-finals of the Euros last Summer. Fifteen players, including several Barcelona teammates of Alexia, said they would not continue to play for Vilda unless he improved his coaching methodology. However, Alexia Putellas will return for the World Cup to represent her country.
Jorge Vilda is excited for Putellas’ return and has recently stated, “We know that she is going to help us a lot, not just on the field, but also with her leadership and the respect she commands from the other players, her experience, her ability to know what is needed, and that talent she has to rise to the challenge. That is what we were missing in the last European Championship."
It will be very exciting to see Alexia Putellas’ return for Spain and whether she can perform under pressure at this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
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