Spain's star player Aitana Bonmati in hospital with meningitis on eve of Euro 2025

Telegraph

12 hours ago

Spain's star player Aitana Bonmati is being treated in hospital for viral meningitis with less than a week to go before the start of Euro 2025.
Bonmati, who has won the Ballon d'Or two years running, missed Spain's warm-up game with Japan on Friday night and manager Montse Tomé said there is no timeframe on her return.
'The doctors say that it is controlled, talking about meningitis can be scary but it is controlled,' Tomé said. 'Aitana will be admitted and there are no deadlines yet to know for how long [she will be absent for].'
The Spanish Football Federation said Bonmati underwent testing after suffering from a fever, which failed to subside.
She was then diagnosed with viral meningitis, which is an inflammation of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Viral meningitis is contagious but there has been no suggestion that any other of the Spanish players are also suffering from the illness. It is generally spread through contact with infected bodily fluids or respiratory droplets from someone who is infected, but the virus itself is not always likely to cause meningitis in those exposed.
Common symptoms include fever, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light (photophobia), and sometimes nausea, vomiting and fatigue, and it is typically less severe than bacterial meningitis.
Bonmati shared a photo of herself watching Spain's game from a hospital bed on social media and Tome indicated they will give the midfielder as long as possible to recover in time to play some part in the Euros.
'Aitana, for us, is a very important player, we will wait for her, yes, as long as we can,' Tomé said. 'The information I have told you is what I have and I am not going to explain more, if I said something more I would be wrong.'
Analysis: Bonmati absence would be a huge blow
This news will have sent shock-waves through the Spanish squad. Bonmati is arguably the most important player in their squad and if she is unable to return to fitness in time it will be a huge blow.
There is a sense of deja vu in that Spain lost Alexia Putellas to an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of the Euros. At the time, Putellas was the reigning Ballon d'Or winner and their best player.
It is hard to replace Bonmati although Spain are at least lucky in that they have a wealth of talent.
If Bonmati's absence is prolonged, it could allow Putellas to step back into the limelight. She had a fantastic season with Barcelona and now looks back to her best after initially struggling to regain her form following her ACL injury.
During the 2023 World Cup there was a suggestion that Putellas and Bonmati were less effective when they played together and that Bonmati shone more when the former was not in the starting XI.
By the end of the tournament, Putellas was starting on the bench and Bonmati was running the show as Spain were crowned champions.
It is not just Spain who will be concerned about Bonmati. She is a player that people will have travelled to Switzerland to watch and tournament organisers will naturally want the biggest stars on show.