Alexia Putellas: Barcelona midfielder faces year out with ACL injury
- Published
The rise of Barcelona's Alexia Putellas
Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas faces up to a year out after undergoing knee surgery, her club Barcelona have confirmed.
The Ballon d'Or winner, 28, was expected to be one of the stars of Euro 2022 before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in training.
"Putellas has been successfully operated on at the Hospital de Barcelona," the club said.
"The estimated time of absence is between 10 and 12 months."
Putellas was named FIFA Best Women's Player last season after scoring 18 times in the league to help Barcelona lift a seventh Primera Division title. She also found the net 11 times in the Champions League, including a consolation effort in the final, as the defending champions lost 3-1 to Lyon.
The talented midfielder now faces a race against time to be fit for the 2023 Women's World Cup, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August.
Spain beat Finland 4-1 in their opening game of Euro 2022 and continue their campaign against Germany on Tuesday, 12 July at 8pm.
Their final group game will be against Denmark on Saturday, 16 July.