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It was the day before the 2022 European Championship was set to begin when the news broke that Alexia Putellas, the very best player of the previous season, had suffered a devastating ACL injury. The Barcelona star went into the summer in world-beating form, having inspired the Catalans to a treble-winning season and a Champions League final. It was a season that would lead to Putellas claiming her second Ballon d'Or, her second FIFA Best Player award and the UEFA Player of the Season accolade - but she'd have likely swapped it all for a chance to play for Spain at the Euros.
La Roja could've used her magic, too, in a tournament that ended with them losing in the quarter-finals to England. They pushed the Lionesses all the way but just couldn't quite get over the line, with Ella Toone equalising in the 84th minute before Georgia Stanway secured victory early in extra-time. It was the first of several big moments Putellas would miss over the course of her recovery period - and there were many that she still could not take centre stage for upon her return, either. When Spain got their revenge over England in the World Cup final a year later, the two-time Ballon d'Or winner was only introduced as a substitute in second-half stoppage time.
But, as Euro 2025 prepares to begin, all of that is in the past. Putellas is not only fully fit again, she is back at the absolute top of her game. As was the case three years ago, she enters this tournament off the back of a season in which she was one of the best players in the world, if not the very best player in the world - and she'll be desperate to be able to help Spain succeed with a continuation of that form.
