Barcelona Femení's Laia Aleixandri is doing some serious rehab to get back on the field as soon as she can after one of the toughest injuries she has suffered.

The Spain international center back suffered a gruesome injury in the February 5 quarterfinals game against Real Madrid. She tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee.

Her latest gym footage shows real progress, moving from resistance work into more dynamic, sport-specific movement, which she shared in an Instagram post.

"A little closer every day💪," Aleixandria wrote. (translated from Spanish).

For an athlete, injuries are the toughest, not because of the pain and suffering one has to go through, but because of the forced hiatus for recovery. And Aleixandri's injury has kept her sidelined for months.

Aleixandri had to undergo surgery on 10 February, performed by Dr. Joan Carles Monllau at Hospital de Barcelona. Dr. Monllau gave a timeline of 10-12 months for her recovery.

The clip captures the difference well; she is seen working back her strength through an isokinetic quad strength machine.

Her session with the machine looks very systematically curated around her injury. Her rehab workouts include isolated front-loaded barbell carries to rebuild total-body stability and a box-based single-leg reach drill.

This time, Aleixandri would not rush back, as no fixed return date has been announced by the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.

Barça will want her back at full strength, not just back early.

How Barcelona Femení won it all without Laia Aleixandri

Laia Aleixandri's recovery from injury is very much her own, but it has hit the squad as a whole. Barcelona trimmed its roster over the summer, leaning mostly on her free transfer from Manchester City.

Yet Barcelona completed a historic quadruple, winning the Supercopa de España, the league title, the Copa de la Reina, and the Champions League, beating Lyon 4-0 in the final on 23 May 2026.

Barcelona's performance was indeed commendable, despite two injured players in Aleixandria and midfielder Patri Guijarro, who sustained a stress fracture on her right foot in October 2025, leaving Barça short on both defensive and midfield depth.

Coach Pere Romeu relied on the team's flexibility, often moving players from midfield back into defense. This is an indication of the team's strength and precisely why it is important for Aleixandri to recover.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Yash Kotak