When making pottery, adding water to the clay is essential for success, but adding too much causes the pieces to collapse, forcing you to start all over again. You have to strike the right balance to create a masterpiece.The same could be said for a player like Barcelona’s record three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who thrives under pressure. But put too much pressure on her and, like the clay, she can collapse.Bonmati took to the pitch for the first time in five months on May 3, in the second leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich. She made her long-awaited return from injury in the 68th minute, back just in time for the most important game of the season, Saturday’s final against OL Lyonnes in Oslo, Norway. In late November 2025, Bonmati suffered a transverse fracture of her left fibula, her outside ankle bone. That happened during a training session with Spain, when she slipped just as she was about to shoot.The midfielder felt a crack, but at the time didn’t realise the extent of the issue. It turned out to be the first major injury of the 28-year-old’s career. Those who know her — who, like all those cited in this article, asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships — say she is a player with such high standards that they have sometimes prevented her from enjoying all her achievements in recent years. Too much water on the clay. Aitana Bonmati fractured her leg during a training camp with Spain (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)“Honestly, I felt it was time to put the brakes on and, in fact, I considered it, but I didn’t do it and life has brought me to a sudden halt,” Bonmati said in a post on her social media when she went into surgery. “With this lesson, I face what lies ahead convinced that it will be a learning experience,” she added, alongside a photo of her lying in a hospital bed, her leg in a cast, wearing a hospital gown, giving a smile and two thumbs up.For several years, she had averaged between 40 and 60 matches a season for club and country. With Barca, she had reached the final of every competition for the past six seasons; at the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, she was part of the Spain team who became champions for the first time. She also played a crucial role at the 2025 European Championship, starting the final, which they lost on penalties to England, despite managing her minutes in the group stage after a bout of meningitis.Being named the best in the world for so long carries with it the pressure to perform. She faced a heavy workload, high expectations and little rest. Sources close to the player tell The Athletic that the demands Bonmati places on herself are greater than the expectations placed on her.