This group is home to the biggest name in women’s soccer: Spain’s Alexia Putellas. The Barcelona midfielder has won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards as the world’s best player—and for good reason. Putellas has led Barça to seven league titles. Last year she scored 34 goals in all competitions and was the top scorer in the Champions League. But an ACL injury just before the Euro 2022 kept her out of action for nearly a year, and she now makes her return to a Spain roster that has undergone some upheaval.
In September the national team dropped 15 players after the Spanish federation said they refused to play under manager Jorge Vilda, whom the players said was affecting their mental and physical health with his coaching methods. Since then, three of the 15 players—Aitana Bonmatí, Ona Batlle and Mariona Caldentey—have returned to play in the World Cup. But even without some of its notable players, Spain has plenty of firepower, as evidenced by its B team’s 2–0 win over the U.S. in October.
IMAGO
