Aitana Bonmati’s journey from serious injury to Champions League final: Rest, recovery and pottery
· Yahoo Sports
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.
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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, alongside 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. With Barca, she had reached the final of every competition for the past six seasons; at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, she was part of the Spain team who became champions for the first time. She also played a crucial role at the 2025 European Championship, starting the final, which they lost on penalties to England, despite managing her minutes in the group stage after a bout of meningitis.
Being named the best in the world for so long carries with it the pressure to perform. She faced a heavy workload, high expectations and little rest. Sources close to the player tell The Athletic that the demands Bonmati places on herself are greater than the expectations placed on her.
“What really weighs on her is the internal struggle,” they explain. “But at the same time, nobody wants to let the world’s best player rest.”
Not the club, the national team, the media or her sponsors.
When injury struck, it was like a bucket of cold water, but also a message: her body stopped her when she needed to.
Bonmati took the injury in her stride and quickly found that silver lining.
She underwent surgery on December 2 and began walking on crutches. During this time, she struggled with pain and the need to have someone help her with just about everything. She had to have a daily Heparin (anticoagulant) injection for a month.
This was difficult because Bonmati is a fiercely independent person. When she was a baby, her parents followed the ‘Estivill Method’ that teaches children to fall asleep independently. At three months old, they moved her into her own room and taught her the importance of autonomy. She was brought up to be free, yet suddenly found herself dependent at the age of 27 after her injury.
“You have to let yourself be looked after and let yourself be helped, Aitana,” they told her after the operation.
Her aunt Lili and uncle Pere also played an important role, allowing her to stay with them in Barcelona, where she found the logistical support she needed. She grew up and still lives in her home village, Sant Pere de Ribes, about 50 minutes from Barcelona, so that was the first time she had lived in the Catalan capital.
Bonmati began her rehabilitation in mid-January and early February. Not travelling for matches or taking part in long training sessions, she learned to appreciate life outside of football — a key lesson in her recovery.
She undertook mental and emotional work that allowed her to open up more and be more flexible and tolerant of certain things. She began going to the Camp Nou more often to watch Barcelona’s men’s team, to experience the city more fully, to celebrate her birthday under more normal circumstances, to get involved in personal projects, to invest more time in English lessons and to discover new hobbies, such as pottery. And, of course, she began to spend more time with her family.
During her rehabilitation, she met other team-mates from different sections of the club, including from Barca’s futsal, basketball, handball and hockey teams. She started attending basketball games at the city’s Palau Blaugrana.
Meanwhile, she continued with her demanding recovery process: putting her foot on the ground, moving it, doing strength exercises and resuming cardio training.
Spring brought the final stage of her recovery. In late March and April, she was able to take on a heavier workload and began doing double sessions at an external training centre, coordinated with the club.
She returned to the pitch, resumed training with the squad and her comeback got closer. Sources close to the player told The Athletic: “She’s coming back a changed player.”
“Rather than seeing it as a misfortune, I saw it as an opportunity, because I genuinely believed that this pause in my life would be of use to me in one way or another,” Bonmati said in an interview for Diario Sport in February.
Bonmati’s return came in front of a packed Camp Nou, earning a standing ovation. She was back — just in time.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Barcelona, Spain, Women's Soccer
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