Before their World Cup opener against Costa Rica on Friday (July 21, 2023), Spain fears for the use of Alexia Putellas. The long-injured two-time world footballer can currently only train in doses.
Hundreds of fans watched the Iberian women’s public training session in the New Zealand city of Palmerston North on Monday (07/17/2023). Many eyes were on Putellas, who initially completed a few exercises with the team. But when coach Jorge Vilda put the ball into play after 20 minutes, the offensive player continued to train individually with fitness trainer Blanca Romero.
The captain of Champions League winners FC Barcelona has missed a number of training sessions since the preparations for the World Cup began. Putellas was also absent from the dress rehearsal for the duel with Costa Rica against Vietnam (9-0) last Friday.
Cruciate ligament rupture shortly before the start of the EM
The exceptional footballer suffered a cruciate ligament rupture shortly before the start of the European Championship in England last year. At the end of April, after months of rehab, she celebrated her comeback in the Barcelona shirt. “I feel like a footballer again,” said the 29-year-old recently relieved. Most recently, however, Europe’s footballer of the year is said to have complained of knee pain again, according to the Spanish media.
Although an individual training program has been drawn up for her anyway, there are serious doubts at the Real Federación Española de Fútbol, the Spanish federation, that the midfielder can play against Costa Rica on Friday (07/21/2023, 9:30 a.m.).