Barcelona’s autumn calendar is beginning to gather its familiar weight, from the Clásico to European nights at the Spotify Camp Nou, and Aitana Bonmatí is working towards rejoining it. The Spain midfielder has stepped away from competition under an individual recovery programme, choosing patience over a hurried return as she seeks to remove pain that has followed a serious injury from last season.
The 28-year-old had already endured five months out before returning in May. She featured seven times during Barcelona’s run-in, including an appearance from the bench in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final against OL Lyonnes. She also played twice for Spain during the summer, against England and Iceland, but the discomfort did not fully disappear when the new campaign began.
Medical examinations have offered reassurance, Bonmatí explained, yet they have not resolved the practical reality of living and playing with pain. “The tests show that everything is in good shape, but pain is something you cannot always control,” she said. “It was affecting not only matches and training, but everyday life as well. The club and I put together a personal plan so that I can return in the best possible condition, above all without pain.”
A return shaped by patience
Bonmatí does not claim to know whether she will ever be entirely free of discomfort. What she does feel is that the work is moving her away from the state she had been in. “I cannot say whether a completely pain-free return is possible, but that is the objective,” she said. “We are heading in the right direction and I am not where I was before.”
There is no fixed date for her comeback, though the next landmarks are clear. Barcelona are due to meet Real Madrid on 4 October, while Arsenal are scheduled to visit the Spotify Camp Nou on 11 November in the Champions League. Bonmatí hopes to be back before the Arsenal fixture and has not ruled herself out of the Clásico.
“European matches at the Camp Nou are always special,” she said. “I would like to be available for Real Madrid too. I do not have a return date, but there is not much longer to go.”
Career first, then Brazil
Her caution is not, Bonmatí insisted, a calculation aimed solely at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, where Spain will seek to retain the title won in 2023. The tournament matters to her and to the national side, but the decision to slow down has a broader purpose.
“This is not something I am doing because of the World Cup,” she said. “It is about giving myself a long career and being able to play the rest of it as well as possible, without pain.”
With demanding months approaching for both Barcelona and Spain, Bonmatí’s focus remains on rehabilitation and on returning physically and football-wise ready for the season’s decisive stages. For now, the dates in Barcelona’s diary are targets rather than promises, but the midfielder believes the distance between recovery work and the pitch is shortening.
