Four standout players from Spain's perfect start to Euro 2025

Spain's pursuit of a first women's European crown has got off to the perfect start in Switzerland.

Three wins, nine points and 14 goals scored - they have swept past Portugal, Belgium and Italy with relative ease to top Group B and storm into the quarter-finals.

In a Spanish side bursting with talent, which players have stood out?

Having missed the Euros in 2022 after she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of the tournament, Alexia Putellas has been making up for lost time on the European stage.

The Barcelona midfielder won back-to-back player-of-the-match awards thanks to stellar performances in the 5-0 victory over Portugal and the 6-2 win against Belgium, scoring three goals and assisting three more across the two games.

She added another two assists in the 3-1 win against Italy to equal the record for group-stage goal involvements by a single player - set three years ago by England's Beth Mead.

Not only does Putellas rank first for direct goal involvements, but she's created more chances per 90 minutes (five) than any other player at Euro 2025.

"She is just impossible to defend against," former Scotland captain Rachel Corsie told BBC Sport.

"She is so good in possession, she's got so much awareness, she sort of looks like she's playing in slow motion but she's actually just so in control.

"I think the only way to stop her is to limit the ball getting to her because once she has it, she's just so dangerous."

Part of a trio made up of Putellas and Aitana Bonmati, who both are two-time Ballon d'Or winners, Patri's work at the base of Spain's - and Barcelona's - midfield often goes unnoticed.

But the 27-year-old "runs the show" according to Corsie, who added: "She's the one... you see she starts everything, she controls the tempo, she chooses when they settle the game down."

Spain boss Montse Tome said she believes Patri is the "best player in her position".

"It's not an easy position because it's not well recognised from the outside and I believe her personality, she is humble, she is a hard worker and this means Aitana [Bonmati], Alexia [Putellas], Vicky [Lopez], Mariona [Caldentey] and [Claudia] Pina play more freely and Patri is key for that."

Asked about Tome's comments, Patri said: "I feel super happy and super proud knowing the coach said that about me.

"For the game model we have, midfielders have to participate because then everything flows and the team feels confident."

As well as setting the pace and freeing up space for her team-mates, Patri proved she's got an eye for goal, with a drilled finish giving Spain the lead against Italy.

At just 18, Vicky Lopez is already enjoying an impressive club career with Barcelona. Now she's making her mark for Spain.

With manager Tome choosing not to start Bonmati for Spain's first two games after her bout of viral meningitis, Lopez was picked as her replacement.

In La Roja's opener against Portugal, Lopez scored after eight minutes, had another effort saved and linked up superbly with Putellas and Pina.

She was afforded less time against Belgium as Bonmati came on at half-time, but even in 45 minutes Lopez made an impact - setting up Putellas for their opener and forcing a goalline clearance.

"She plays as if she had 10 years of experience," Putellas said about the teenager after the Portugal game.

Her flare and fearlessness with the ball has caught the attention of fans and pundits, completing 5.1 dribbles per 90 minutes - second to only to Germany's Klara Buhl (6.2).

Corsie said: "Her ability one v one, she's great left or right foot, really tricky and also has great awareness."

Esther Gonzalez may not be the best-known name in a Spanish team full of stars, but with 36 goals in 53 games for her country, she's a prolific goalscorer.

Leading the tournament's scoring charts with four goals, it took the 32-year-old just 87 seconds to open her account at the Euros with a terrific flicked volley against Portugal.

She grabbed a second with a poacher's finish from close range, she demonstrated ruthlessness for her clinical strike against Belgium, while she was in the right place at the right time for a poked finish from close range against Italy.

"One of the things I think she does most effectively is she's always on the back shoulder," Corsie said.

"She's so good at just creating an extra yard for herself by always trying to play off the shoulder, knowing that if the ball goes wide and then gets delivered into the box, she'll always have an extra yard on you."

Gonzalez is averaging 2.3 goals every 90 minutes - more than any other player who has played over 100 minutes at Euro 2025.

"Esther is playing at an excellent level at all levels," Tome said of the Gotham FC striker.

"She has whatever what you may need from a tactical point of view because of her experience and with her energy. "