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Barcelona captain and two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putelas will undergo knee surgery on Wednesday, the club announced on Tuesday.
The Spanish forward left the national team’s training camp last month with a knee injury and also missed the recent Barcelona match. She has not played since she was absent from the first half of the Champions League game against Benfica on November 14.
She has missed Barcelona’s last seven matches.
“Barcelona women’s football star Alexia Putelas will undergo arthroscopic surgery on her left knee on Wednesday, December 27,” the club said in a statement. “The club will make a formal medical announcement once her surgery is complete.”
According to The Athletic, both the club and staff were concerned about the test results, which concluded she was not seriously injured. Additional opinions were reportedly sought on the ongoing issue, with next steps likely to include surgery.
Putelas missed the 2022 European Championships due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but was part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup earlier this year.
The 29-year-old, who has made 408 appearances for Barcelona since joining in 2012, is out of contract this summer. He has been offered a new contract at Barcelona, but there are also rumors of a move to the NWSL, where Barcelona coach Jonathan Giraldes is rumored to be leaving at the end of the season.
She won 25 trophies with Barcelona, including seven Liga F titles and two Champions League titles.