Aitana Bonmatí’s broken leg has ‘hit the squad’ – Spain boss

Cliff Notes – Aitana Bonmatí’s broken leg has ‘hit the squad’ – Spain boss

• Aitana Bonmatí suffered a fractured fibula in training, leaving Spain’s midfield weakened ahead of the UEFA Women’s Nations League final against Germany.
• Coach Sonia Bermúdez expressed the team’s determination to dedicate their performance to Bonmatí and other injured players, while remaining confident in their squad’s capabilities.
• The upcoming final at the Metropolitano Stadium is expected to draw a record crowd, highlighting the growing support for women’s football in Spain.

Aitana Bonmatí broken leg has ‘hit the squad’ – Spain boss

Spain coach Sonia Bermúdez lamented the “big loss” of Aitana Bonmatí after the Barcelona midfielder broke her leg ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Women’s Nations League final second leg against Germany.

Three-time Ballon d’Or winner Bonmatí fractured her fibula in training on Sunday and has returned to Barcelona for further tests to determine the severity of the break and if surgery will be required.

With Patri Guijarro also injured, it leaves Spain short in midfield going into this week’s final against Germany at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium with the tie delicately poised after a goalless draw in the first leg on Friday.

Aitana Bonmatí has broken her leg. Photo by TIL BUERGY/EPA/Shutterstock

“It’s a big loss,” Bermúdez said in a news conference on Monday when asked about Bonmatí’s break.

“It always hits the squad when there is an injury to a teammate, because above all we are all people, so we’re sending a lot of strength to Aitana and wishing her a quick recovery.

“But the team is good. We want to dedicate the victory to Aitana, but also to Patri and to Salma [Paralluelo]. They are important players for us, but we have 24 here capable of delivering.

“The team is prepared and up for the challenge, motivated and showing in training that they are ready to compete.”

Barça will also feel the strain of losing Bonmatí in the coming weeks and potentially months as they fight to remain at the top of Liga F and the Champions League standings with Guijarro also out until the New Year.

“The loss of Aitana is tough for the national team and Barça,” club and international teammate Irene Paredes, speaking before Bermúdez, added.

“From the off you could see it was something serious. Losing players like Aitana knocks you a bit, seeing her sad, struggling, but we must move forward. I hope she recovers well.”

Spain were second best in the first leg on Friday but Germany, led by the brilliant Klara Bühl, could not find a way through, in part thanks to six saves from goalkeeper Cata Coll.

Paredes took encouragement from the team’s improvement in the second half and gave credit to Germany, who Spain beat 1-0 earlier this year in the Euro 2025 semifinals.

“Germany didn’t surprise us at all,” she added. “They are a team we respect; they know the rhythm they want to set.

“They have players to defend well and to hit you on the counter. The first half was tough the other night, but we’re playing against Germany don’t forget.

“We did better after the break, adapting to the rhythm of the game. And in defence, which has always been a point of criticism against us, we knew how to suffer.”

The second leg will be played at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, with a crowd of up to 70,000 expected, which would be a record for the women’s national team in a game played on home soil.

World champions Spain won the inaugural edition of in 2024 and Bermúdez hopes the players will be rewarded for all their efforts on and off the pitch in recent years by winning it again.

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“I would love to win it for the players, they deserve it,” she said. “We have a generation that has worked so hard to turn things around in Spanish football and reach finals.

“Because of what these players have achieved, there will be 70,000 people at the game. It’s historic. It would be incredible and very important for women’s sport [in Spain if we win it].

“I am grateful for all the people coming to watch and all those following on television. It’s all thanks to the players, who have been fighting for years. It’s a dream to win it.”