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The Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí has been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment for viral meningitis and will rejoin the national team in the coming days as they prepare for Euro 2025.
The Ballon d’Or winner was absent from Spain’s final warm-up match against Japan on Friday, a game she watched from her hospital bed. World Cup winners Spain’s first game of the tournament comes on Thursday when they face Portugal in Bern.
England sent their best wishes to Bonmatí for a speedy recovery in time for the European Championship . The head coach, Sarina Wiegman, whose Lionesses side were beaten by Spain in the 2023 World Cup final, hopes the Barcelona player recovers sufficiently to take part in the finals in Switzerland, which get under way on Wednesday.
Wiegman said: “First of all I hope she’s all right and I hope she recovers well and that she can come back with the team and play, because everyone wants to see players like Bonmati [at the Euros].
“You want the best players from Europe being involved in tournaments, because that’s exciting, that’s what people come to watch - the best players from Europe. So I hope she will be involved and that she will get better soon.”
The England defender Jess Carter echoed Wiegman’s sentiments, adding: “Obviously it’s really sad hearing of anyone becoming unwell, and we all just want her to get better soon and [we] wish her all the best. And then hopefully after recovering, she gets to the tournament and continues to put on the performances that she does.”
Speaking to the media after Spain’s 3-1 defeat of Japan in a pre-tournament friendly, Montse Tomé, their coach, said “we can’t talk about deadlines” for the influential Barcelona midfielder’s return.
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Spain begin their Euro 2025 campaign in six days’ time, when they play Portugal on 3 July. They then play Belgium on 7 July and Italy on 11 July.
