2023-04-26 17:37:51
The Queen is back. Alexia Putellas received a medical discharge this Wednesday and entered Jonatan Giráldez’s list for the duel that will measure Barça against Chelsea at the Camp Nou, corresponding to the second leg of the semifinals of the Women’s Champions League. 295 days after breaking the cross during the concentration of the Spanish team prior to the Eurocup, the two-time winner of the Ballon d’Or finally comes out of the tunnel and will join forces with her teammates in search of certifying the classification for the final of the maximum continental competition that will be held on June 3 in Eindhoven. A pass that the Catalans have well on track after winning 0-1 at Stamford Bridge last week with a goal from Graham Hansen.
The midfielder from Mollet del Vallès has not set foot on the pitch wearing the Barça shirt since May 29, 2022, when she lifted the Copa de la Reina after the Barça team thrashed Sporting de Huelva 6-1 at the stadium of Santo Domingo de Alcorcón. On June 5, after participating four days earlier in a friendly for the Spanish team against Italy in which she scored the equalizer, she was injured during a training session for the team led by Jorge Vilda in the English town of Marlow. The diagnosis was devastating: he suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee that forced him to undergo surgery on June 12 and begin a long ordeal that will end this Thursday when he dresses short for the clash against Chelsea (18: 45 hours / Dazn and TVE).
The two-time Ballon d’Or winner and recently also awarded her second The Best award for the best player in the world will not start, but her mere presence on the bench will be a real boost for the Barça players, who dream of conquering the Champions League for the second time in its history. It will also be an added incentive for the Barça parish, which promises a high entry into a Camp Nou willing to pay homage to its Queen.
During her long period of convalescence and complicated recovery process, Alexia Putellas has missed 37 official matches for a Barça whose results have not suffered due to the absence of the best footballer on the planet, but who has greatly missed her talent and leadership. Hence, the return of the captain, a benchmark on and off the pitch, is the best possible news for a squad that continues to rule Spanish football with an iron fist and is just one step away from fighting again for glory in the Champions League.
Since landing at Barça in July 2012 from Levante, Alexia Putellas has won 15 titles with the elastic auzlgrana: six Leagues, six Queen’s Cups, two Spanish Super Cups and one Champions League. Collective awards to which must be added a handful of individual distinctions, including two Ballon d’Ors, two The Best awards for the best player in the world and two other UEFA awards for the best soccer player in Europe. She was also recently crowned at the National Sports Awards as the best Spanish athlete of 2021.
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