Spain will be without Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Alexia Putellas for Euro 2022 after she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on the eve of the tournament.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said Putellas, who captains Barcelona and the national team, had sprained her knee in training on Tuesday.

Further medical tests showed the 28-year-old had ruptured her ACL.

Spain begin their Euros campaign against Finland on Friday.

They will now be without the influential Putellas, Fifa’s best women’s player of 2021, who has made 100 appearances and scored 27 goals for the national side.

She was the top scorer in the Champions League last season with 11 goals and scored 18 times to help Barcelona win the Primera Division for a third season in a row.

Spain are already without their record goalscorer and Putellas’ Barcelona team-mate Jennifer Hermoso, who suffered sprained knee ligaments last month.