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Women’s National Team

Aitana Bonmatí: "We have experience in matches like these"

The double Ballon d'Or winner sat down with the media ahead of the European Championships quarter-finals
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Thu, 17/07/2025 - 21:06

Just over 24 hours remain until Spain and Switzerland face each other in the quarter-final of this showpiece continental tournament. The national team are seeking a place in the semi-finals against the host nation at the Wankdorf Stadium, where Aitana Bonmatí took questions from journalists ahead of the big clash: "We are a humble team, we don’t live in the past, what’s done is done. These are do-or-die matches — either you win or you're out — and we want to give everything we’ve got to keep going. We are not thinking about the matches we’ve already played, we’re using them to build confidence, not complacency."

Regarding the atmosphere Spain have enjoyed in each match so far and the how fans back home are following the Euros, the players know that Switzerland will have extra support from the stands: "Obviously, we’re going to have the whole stadium against us, but as a player, that motivates us. It’s not our first time we have been in this kind of situation. It can help them, but it can also work against them. The crowd will push them on, but that can also turn into pressure for them."

 

 

The FC Barcelona midfielder, who missed the start of the Euros due to meningitis said… "I never thought I would not be at the Euros. You know me, my mentality, my desire to play in these tournaments. Something unexpected happened. I had been feeling great, training very well, I was connected to the group, and suddenly I found myself in hospital. A new experience, at that moment a negative one, five days before the Euros started. These are frustrating moments that hurt. Today, I can say that I’m about to play in the quarter-finals, and I’m grateful."

The player from Sant Pere de Ribes also referred to her quick recovery from her meningitis: "I’m 100% physically. After leaving the hospital, I rested for 3 days, and my return to the pitch was gradual. For me, it has been tough, something exceptional, but I’ve learnt a lot. I feel very good and my face says it all — happy and thrilled to be here, healthy and in good shape."

The Spain star is confident that her team will continue on the same path shown in the group stage, knowing that the next rounds are decisive: "We’ll try to maintain our level. I expect tight and hard-fought matches, difficult to win, but that’s where great teams grow and shine. I hope Spain continues to stand out."

 

 

The version of the team we’re seeing is very good: "are we the best Spain, I don’t know, we’ve already won a World Cup and a Nations League. We’re having a great tournament and now the best part is to come. I don’t want to speak too soon. It’s better to speak afterwards and reflect. The match itself is motivating. We all want to be in a semi-final and play the three matches that remain. Our focus is 100% on tomorrow. We play with responsibility, with the positive pressure that we’ve earned. We’ve done really well and we have the team to do the job. We go into matches knowing our responsibility and with the composure that we didn’t have a few years ago. Now we do, we’ve got experience playing in stadiums against host nations like at the Euros against England, even if the result didn’t go our way, we hope tomorrow it will."

As captain of the national team, tomorrow’s match could mean "continuing to make history. The team’s trajectory in the past has been postive— in '97 they reached the semi-finals, and tomorrow is another challenge for us. We want to keep making history."

 

 

Watch Aitana Bonmatí’s press conference again ahead of the Spain-Switzerland EURO quarter-final.

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