Alexia Putellas: Barcelona midfielder returns in title win after ACL injury
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Alexia Putellas returned on the bench for Barcelona's Champions League semi-final second leg with Chelsea before making her playing comeback four days later
Spain and Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas has made her first appearance after nearly 10 months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The two-time Ballon d'Or winner made her return as a 73rd-minute substitute to help Barcelona seal the Primera Division title on Sunday.
Putellas was injured on the eve of the European Championship last summer.
Her return was greeted by a huge roar and the sight of fans holding up shirts bearing her name in the stands.
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The Barcelona captain hit the side netting with a shot and saw Asisat Oshoala score the final goal of a 3-0 win over Sporting de Huelva before returning to the Johan Cruyff Stadium pitch holding the trophy to join her team-mates for a ceremony after full-time.
After naming an entirely changed starting side to the one that began the second leg of their Champions League semi-final victory over Chelsea on Thursday, Barcelona claimed their 26th win of a flawless league season to establish an unassailable 13-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid.
Putellas, who was the Champions League top scorer last season with 11 goals in 10 games, has won 100 caps and 27 goals for Spain and made her comeback with just under three months to go until the Women's World Cup.
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She retained both her Ballon d'Or and The Best Fifa Football Awards' women's player of the year title in 2022, despite missing the final five months of the year.
Putellas, 29, is among a number of high-profile women footballers to have suffered an ACL injury in recent months, along with England duo Beth Mead and Leah Williamson and WSL record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema.
The seven-time Spanish champion could feature in the Champions League final on 3 June, when Barca will face the winners of Monday's semi-final between Arsenal and Wolfsburg.