1 year ago
19
Sam Marsden
Moises Llorens
Jun 24, 2025, 09:46 AM ET
Spain's Alexia Putellas has said she is simply a "better Alexia now" arsenic she looks to beryllium a constituent astatine this summer's European Championship aft missing the past 1 done injury.
Putellas, 31, tore her ACL connected the eve of the tourney successful England 3 years agone and was subsequently sidelined for the champion portion of a year.
The Barcelona midfielder said the vexation of being retired for truthful agelong has yet helped her to improve, arsenic she targets occurrence with Spain successful Switzerland adjacent month.
"I americium a amended Alexia now," she told reporters from Spain's office successful Madrid earlier the squad relocates to its basal successful Lausanne adjacent week.
"I cognize myself overmuch amended now. I cognize what my qualities are and besides what I person to enactment on. At the extremity of the day, I judge each suffering helps you germinate arsenic a idiosyncratic and arsenic an athlete.
"I cognize however to negociate pugnacious moments amended present and however to bask the bully ones, too. In general, I person enjoyed myself this season. The situation present is to agelong that feeling into the Euros and assistance the squad arsenic overmuch arsenic I can."
Putellas' wounded earlier the past Euros came erstwhile she was astatine the apical of her game, winning the Ballon d'Or back-to-back successful 2021 and 2022.
It has taken her a portion to instrumentality to afloat fitness, but she remained comparatively wounded escaped this past season, scoring 22 times successful 39 appearances for Barça.
That has propelled her backmost into the Ballon d'Or statement aft Barça won a home double, though they mislaid the Champions League last to Arsenal, but she said the lone happening connected her caput for a portion has been making up for mislaid clip astatine the Euros.
"I won't prevarication to you, I've had this tourney connected my caput aft getting injured the time earlier the past Euros," she added.
"I'm truly looking guardant to it. I person been preparing for this infinitesimal for a agelong time, but supra each I privation to bask it and vie to triumph each game."
World champions Spain caput into the tourney arsenic favourites, adjacent much truthful aft a comeback triumph against England earlier this month, but Putellas played down that tag.
"We're massively demanding of ourselves, but determination are immoderate apical sides astatine the tournament," she said.
"I americium assured that if we're astatine our best, we volition beryllium overmuch person to winning each game, archetypal successful the radical stages and past successful the second rounds, than not, but it's truly hard.
"There are 5 oregon six sides with large players: England, Germany, France, Italy are a truly uncomfortable broadside to look arsenic well, Sweden... I don't privation to hide anyone, but I deliberation they're each teams that could perfectly triumph the trophy."
Spain look Japan successful a affable aboriginal this week earlier their Euro 2025 run gets underway against Portugal successful Group B connected July 3, with Belgium and Italy to follow.
