Spain will be without one of its star players for the UEFA Women’s European Championship after Alexia Putellas tore the ACL in her left knee.
The Spanish team announced the injury Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the team revealed that Putellas had sustained a knee sprain during a training session, but the extent of the injury was not known.
Putellas is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, and recently was named the best player in the world by ESPN. The midfielder also has the most caps on the Spanish team, having made 100 international appearances and notching 27 goals.
Jennifer Hermoso, who is the top goalscorer in Spanish national team history with 45, ranked eighth on ESPN’s list. The team will be without Hermoso as well, however, as she was ruled out of the tournament in June with a knee injury.
The reigning Ballon d’Or Féminin winner, Putellas was also named the UEFA Women’s Player of the Year in 2021. During the most recent Champions League season, Putellas finished as the top scorer with 11 goals. She also was named the Best FIFA Women’s Player.
The Spanish women’s national team is coming off of a 1-1 draw in a friendly with Italy last Friday, in which Putellas was the lone goal scorer for Spain. Spain is scheduled to begin its group stage campaign at the Euros against Finland on Friday.