ALEXIA PUTELLAS: “THE WORLD CUP WAS A RACE AGAINST TIME FOR ME. NOW I WANT TO SHOW THE BEST VERSION OF MYSELF”

Injury ruled the two-time Ballon d'Or winner out of Euro 2022; a sub in the World Cup final on her return, the 31-year-old has now rediscovered top form

- Words Andrew Murray

What are your main hopes for this summer?

I always see international tournaments as being like the Champions League: it takes more to win it. Everybody is on point, at the maximum and focusing on the details. It'll be a very competitive tournament. We'll prepare well and then go round by round, group stage first. I hope it'll be another big summer for us - and I want to show the best version of myself, too.

What do you make of Spain's group?

It's very complicated. We've faced these sides a lot recently and know how tough they'll be - Portugal were in our Nations League group, Italy were in our Nations League group before that, and Belgium were in our Euro 2025 qualifying group.

As Spain's most-capped player, what does it mean to play for your country?