Alèxia Putellas has suffered a serious knee injury just before the start of the European Championship women’s football in England. The superstar of the Spanish team has to drop the tournament because of the injury.
Putellas, 28, came to the hospital on crutches on Tuesday for an investigation into the injury she sustained during training. The scans showed that she has torn the anterior cruciate ligament of her left knee and has to rehabilitate for months.
Putellas is Spain’s record international with 100 international matches and is seen as one of the best football players in the world. Last year, the FC Barcelona player won the Ballon d’Or Féminin and the trophy for The Best FIFA Women’s Player.
This year, Putellas was in form with 34 goals and 18 assists with Barcelona, who won the championship without losing a single point. She was also named player of the tournament in the Champions League.
Last week it was announced that Jennifer Hermoso is also not available during the European Championship due to a knee injury. The Spanish player is also one of the stars of Barcelona, finishing second in the Ballon d’Or election last year, behind Putellas.
For Spain, the European Championship starts on Friday with a group match against Finland. After that, duels with Germany (next Tuesday) and Denmark (next Saturday) are scheduled. England open the tournament against Austria on Wednesday.