Spain coach Montse Tomé has confirmed Aitana Bonmatí will start Thursday’s European Championship opener against Portugal after recovering from viral meningitis. The midfielder, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner, was hospitalised last Friday but returned to training on Tuesday.
Tomé praised Bonmatí’s recovery progress, saying the player did some individual training with the fitness team and will join the rest of the squad in a final session before the game. However, she added that the midfielder’s health comes first.
Goalkeeper Cata Coll is also set to start against Portugal despite coming down with tonsillitis.
Spain will be missing captain Irene Paredes due to a two-game ban after receiving a red card during qualification. The team is heavily favourites to progress and win the tournament, but coach Tomé says they won’t focus on labels.
Midfielder Patri Guijarro expressed similar sentiments, saying that all teams are 200% prepared to win every game in the Euros. Spain’s objective is to win tomorrow and then advance from the group stage. However, coach Tomé reminds the team that they must stay focused on themselves and not get distracted by others’ expectations.
The team will face stiff competition from England, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, and Portugal in Group B.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45645763/euro-2025-spain-coach-tome-upbeat-aitana-bonmati-fitness