Spain's Bonmati hospitalised with viral meningitis days before Euro 2025
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Spain's Aitana Bonmati during the warm up before the match in Portugal, on April 4.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MADRID – With less than a week to the Women’s Euro 2025, world champions Spain have suffered a blow with reigning Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati hospitalised with viral meningitis.
The 27-year-old midfielder missed the 3-1 friendly win over Japan in Leganes on June 27, their final tune-up match before their opening Group B match against Portugal on July 3.
Bonmati shared a picture of herself watching the match from a hospital bed in an Instagram story.
Spain coach Montse Tome said after their friendly: “The doctors say that it is controlled. Talking about meningitis can be scary but it is controlled.
"Aitana will be admitted and there are no deadlines yet to know for how long (she will be absent).”
Barcelona's Bonmati, who also won the Fifa Women's Player of the Year award for 2023 and 2024, has scored 30 goals for Spain in 78 appearances, playing a key role as they won the Women's World Cup in 2023 and the Women's Nations League last year.
"Aitana, for us, is a very important player. We'll wait for her as long as we can," Tome added.
Spain, who also have Belgium and Italy in their group, have never made it to the final of the continental championship, reaching the semi-finals only once in 1997.
They lost to eventual champions England in the quarter-finals of the last Women’s Euro, which was played in 2022. But they beat England in the World Cup final in Sydney the following year. REUTERS
