Aitana Bonmati’s journey from serious injury to Champions League final: Rest, recovery and pottery
When making pottery, adding water to the clay is essential for success, but adding too much causes the pieces to collapse, forcing you to start all over again. You have to strike the right balance to create a masterpiece. The same could be said for a player like Barcelona’s record three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who thrives under pressure.
But put too much pressure on her and, like the clay, she can collapse. Bonmati took to the pitch for the first time in five months on May 3, in the second leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich. She made her long-awaited return from injury in the 68th minute, back just in time for the most important game of the season, Saturday’s final against OL Lyonnes in Oslo, Norway.
In late November 2025, Bonmati suffered a transverse fracture of her left fibula, her outside ankle bone. That happened during a training session with Spain, when she slipped just as she was about to shoot. The midfielder felt a crack, but at the time didn’t realise the extent of the issue.
It turned out to be the first major injury of the 28-year-old’s career. Those who know her — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — say she is a player with such high standards that they have sometimes prevented her from enjoying all her achievements in recent years. Too much water on the clay.
“Honestly, I felt it was time to put the brakes on and, in fact, I considered it, but I didn’t do it and life has brought me to a sudden halt,” Bonmati said in a post on her social media when she went into surgery. “With this lesson, I face what lies ahead convinced that it will be a learning experience,” she added, alongsid e a photo of her lying in a hospital bed, her leg in a cast, wearing a hospital gown, giving a smile and two thumbs up. For several years, she had averaged between 40 and 60 matches a season for club and country.
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