Alexia Putellas, holder of two Ballon d’Or awards, has left the Spain women’s national team camp in Las Rozas, Madrid, due to discomfort in her left knee after a knock sustained in the Champions League match against Benfica on November 14. The Barcelona star did not feature for her club in recent fixtures as she focuses on her recovery and rehabilitation plan.
According to a statement from the Spanish Football Federation, Putellas will return home for a full assessment by the team’s medical team before resuming training with FC Barcelona. The federation noted that after the evaluations, the player would continue her recovery at her club and would not rejoin immediate national team duties as of now.
Putellas began feeling discomfort following the clash with Benfica, an issue that has kept her from action since the game. She remained in Barcelona for treatment and monitoring, with medical staff coordinating closely with the national team’s medical services to manage her condition and determine the best path to a safe return to peak match fitness.
Earlier in the day, teammate Irene Paredes also missed Barcelona’s midweek matches due to tonsillitis, and both players joined the Spain squad in Las Rozas for the ongoing national team camp at Ciudad del Fútbol. After initial assessments, the decision was made for Putellas to travel back to her club to focus on recovery, while Paredes pursued her own health needs with the national team’s medical team providing guidance.
Looking ahead, the federation indicated that Putellas would be evaluated with the goal of rejoining the national team in due course. The planned fixtures for December include a match against Italy in Pasaron, Pontevedra, followed by a confrontation with Sweden in La Rosaleda, Malaga, four days later. These dates underscore the careful balance between ensuring the player’s long-term health and maintaining readiness for international duties when she is cleared to return.
In briefing the media, the Spanish national team head coach Montse Tomé clarified the squad’s planning at the moment of the initial call-up. He explained that Putellas’s withdrawal from the camp would not prompt an automatic replacement to fill the vacancy, underscoring the federation’s approach to managing the roster during a period of player availability fluctuations and ongoing medical evaluations. The emphasis remains on the players’ health and the team’s strategic preparation for upcoming international commitments as the recovery process proceeds.”