LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí and Patri Guijarro are something of an institution in Barcelona's midfield, but for different reasons they have been unable to combine for Spain as they have done for their club. The signs at Euro 2025 this summer suggest it's finally changing, although that will be put to the test on Wednesday against Germany in Zurich as the world champions aim to reach the European Championship final for the first time in their history.
Key to Spain's chances of progress -- and a first-ever win over a Germany side who beat them in last year's bronze medal match at the Olympic Games -- will be their midfield. Putellas, Bonmatí and Guijarro have won countless trophies alongside each other at Barça but, remarkably, before this tournament began they had all started together in just two of Spain's last 21 matches at the World Cup, Euros and Olympics.
At the 2019 World Cup, none of them were bona fide starters. In 2022, at the Euros, Putellas tore her ACL on the eve of the tournament. Guijarro sat out the 2023 World Cup in protest at the working conditions provided by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) at the time. Last year, at the Olympics, she returned, but has spoken of not feeling entirely herself at the tournament as coach Montse Tomé picked the trio as her midfield in just two of Spain's six outings.
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It briefly looked like they would be kept apart this summer, too, when Bonmatí was hospitalised with viral meningitis just days before the finals. She made a quick recovery, though, and while she was a substitute in the first two group games, she's started the last two matches alongside Putellas and Guijarro. She was named MVP in the quarterfinal win over Switzerland. All four MVP awards from Spain's games have gone to one of their midfield trio: Putellas against Portugal and Belgium, and Guijarro against Italy.
With Bonmatí not 100 percent, it was Putellas who superbly guided Spain through the group stage. After two years of injury problems, she came into the Euros on the back of a stellar season with Barça. She says she is a "better Alexia" for all that she has been through and, on top of that, feels she has an outstanding debt with the tournament given how she cruelly missed the last finals with that ACL tear.
"If anyone is up for it, it's [Putellas]," Barça and Spain defender Jana Fernández told ESPN. "We are all super motivated, but Alexia even more so after what happened before the last Euros -- and she is showing it.
"She contributes so much to the team on and off the pitch. She's surrounded by the best to be able to show 100% of what she's capable of on the pitch. I hope she keeps going because what's good for her is good for Spain."
Putellas, 31, contributed three goals and four assists in the group stage. The assist for Athenea del Castillo against Italy and the deft finish against Belgium were the pick of the bunch, although she was not able to break Switzerland down. That, coupled with a quiet showing in Barça's Champions League final loss to Arsenal, may raise questions about whether she truly is back to her pre-injury best, which she will be keen to answer against Germany. There is no doubt among her teammates, though.
"She has that spark that makes her a difference-maker," Monterrey and Spain's Lucía García told ESPN. "I am blown away every time I am with her doing anything because, for me, her vision of the game is the best in the world. I love playing with her because she reads situations that almost no one else sees. For me, as a forward, that is brilliant."
Putellas has created a tournament high 18 chances so far, which helps explain why Spain have scored 16 goals in their four games. Bonmatí has also created five, despite, much to her frustration, having to start from the bench in each of the first two matches due to her pre-tournament illness.
Tomé said she had to "put the brakes" on her at first, but they are off now and Bonmatí knows that if all of Spain's parts are at their best individually, it will be difficult for anyone to beat them.
"Right now, I am 100 percent focused on giving the best of myself to serve the team," she told ESPN. "I believe that if we all give the best of ourselves and put ourselves at the service of the team, that's when this team performs at an unstoppable level."
It helps when you have players like the reigning Ballon d'Or, Bonmatí, capable of producing a moment of brilliance like her back heel to set up Del Castillo and finally break the resistance of hosts Switzerland in the quarterfinal.
Between them, Putellas and Bonmatí have shared the past four Ballon d'Or awards, winning two each. Guijarro, who sits at the base of the midfield behind them, often receives less recognition. That is slowly changing, mind, as she finally feels comfortable again in the Spain side after admitting she wasn't at her best when she first returned for the Olympics last year.
"There was a spell coming back into the team that was not easy for her, she had been away for a while and her return has been progressive, but now she's good," Tomé told ESPN. "For me, she's the best in her position in the world. It's not an easy role, you don't get much recognition, but her humble and hard-working personality allows those ahead of her to play with more freedom."
Guijarro, who like Bonmatí should be at her peak aged 27, is so often the starting point for Spain's attacks. She has completed a tournament high 292 passes -- and 190 of them have been into the opposition's half.
"I would say it's really easy playing with Patri, but also complicated at the same time," Barça and Spain midfielder Vicky López said. "She plays passes that only she sees, so sometimes you're not even expecting them. She doesn't make easy passes. She always passes forward, with precision. There is meaning to every pass she plays.
"She is one of the best players in the world and is underrated. She's the base of the team, the one that makes things tick and ensures we all produce our best. If you watch Patri for the whole game, it will make you smile. Maybe she doesn't put on as much of a show as others, but if you focus on her, you see it."
Guijarro can also deliver in the final third, as her goal against Italy showed, but Spain's midfield trio now face their biggest test yet. Italy (13) are the highest-ranked team they had faced at the finals so far. Belgium (20), Portugal (22) and Switzerland (23) have also been beaten. Germany rank third in the world, have won eight Euros previously and have never lost to Spain.
"I have huge respect for Germany," Bonmatí added. "If you look at the history of the European Championship, they have eight under their belt, so the pressure is on them.
"A year ago, we lost to them and we left Paris without a medal after I don't know how many days there. For a team and players like us, it's frustrating -- plus we've never beaten Germany. So it's a new opportunity to make history."