After winning their first World Cup in 2010, the next two seasons were a tale of failure for Spain. In the 2014 Brazil World Cup, they left the group stage. Four years later, the team lost in a tiebreaker against the hosts in the last sixteen at the World Cup in Russia. However, under coach Luis Enrique, Spain has changed a lot in the last few years. He has brought back the style of playing with possession of the ball in the team of many young footballers, including Pedri and Gavi. Let's take a look at Spain Squad in this year's FIFA World Cup.
Spain team announced for FIFA World Cup in Qatar
Intending to win the 2022 World Cup, Spain coach Luis Enrique announced the 26-member squad on November 11.
Table: Players of Spain Team in 2022 World Cup
| Role | Players |
| Goalkeepers | Unai Simon (Athletic Club), Robert Sanchez (Brighton), David Raya (Brentford) |
| Defenders | Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Eric Garcia (FC Barcelona), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Alejandro Balde (Barcelona), Hugo Guillamon (Valencia) |
| Midfielders | Sergi Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Gavi (FC Barcelona), Carlos Soler (PSG), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedri (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid) |
| Forwards | Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Yeremy Pino (Villarreal), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid, Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Pablo Sarabia (PSG), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Ansu Fati (Barcelona) |
Source: CBS Sports
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Enrique has kept quite a surprise in this squad. As a result, Liverpool midfielder Thiago and Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga were dropped from the team along with Ramos. Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has been left out of the World Cup squad. Also missing out were Leeds United defender Diego Llorente and Real Betis striker Borja. However, Barcelona striker Ansu Fati got a chance in Spain's World Cup team for the first time.
Spain lost to Russia on penalties in the 2018 World Cup. Then Julen Lopetegui was sacked from the post of head coach of the national team. Since then, Luis Enrique has been the coach of the Spanish national team. However, Enrique is yet to bag any significant achievement. And this World Cup will be his chance to show his charisma.
This time, Enrique changed the entire squad of the Spanish defense. The new ones replaced the old ones. Along with Ramos, Pique is not on Spain's list. Both Ramos and Pique were part of Spain's World Cup-winning squad. Most of that team will not be seen on the field this time. Only Sergio Busquets will remain. On the other hand, Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal did not get a chance in the squad.
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20-year-old Ansu Fati is the face of hope for Enrique and Spain fans in this World Cup, along with Alvaro Morata, Ferran Torres, and Marco Asensio.
Spain team analysis for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
Spain can easily make two teams for any tournament, as they have plenty of options. Hence, it becomes difficult to build a team from the best of the bests. Among 26 players of Spain's final squad, we picked the best three Spanish players for the 2022 Qatar World Cup who can make a difference at any moment.
Pedri (Midfield)
Pedri is the most talked about Under-19 footballer in the world today, and for a good reason. The young Spaniard has already begun to dominate Barcelona and Spain's midfield using great dribbling, excellent passing, and a mature brain. Constantly reminiscent of Andres Iniesta, the youngster's ability to regain possession of the ball has recently drawn comparisons with Lionel Messi.
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Pedri is also adept at 'nutmeg' the opponent. Pedri Gonzalez is the current winner of the 'Golden Boy Award' for the best young player in Europe, which has previously been won by players like Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland. Seems like Pedri has a bright future like his predecessors!
He will be the main weapon for Enrique in the Spanish midfield, who will surely hold Ferran Torres or Ansu Fati in the attack.
Gavi (Midfield)
Aged just eighteen, he was on Barcelona Juvenile' A' player until last year. He joined Barcelona last year and has already cemented his place in the club's first-team starting XI. The style of play of this talented student of Barcelona's academy La Masia can be said to be a combination of two former students of La Masia, Xavi Hernandez, and Andres Iniesta.
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Gavi has already won the hearts of the fans with his excellent vision, outstanding control, rare football talent, and brilliant dribbling-passing. In addition to the attack, he also helps the team's defense and can take away the ball by tackling.
Gavi made his debut in El Clasico debut in October last year. He was 17 years and 80 days old when he got a chance in the starting XI for this match. In the last 80 years, no one could make the starting XI of El Clasico at a such young age.
Gavi became the second-youngest to score against Atletico Madrid in La Liga last February, the youngest since Raul Gonzalez in 1994. Gavi is the youngest footballer to wear the national team jersey in Spain's 100-year football history.
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He has written his name on this record by taking the field against Italy last October. Gavi has won the heart of coach Enrique after playing only six matches, so there is no doubt for now that he will take his place in the midfield in starting XI of the World Cup.
Ansu Fati (Forward)
The promising young footballer Ansu Fati has been in the news since his debut for the Spanish club Barcelona in 2019. This striker has already repeatedly proved his talent. He became the youngest player to score a brace in La Liga, which beat Juanmi's record of two goals for Malaga in 17 years and 115 days.
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Only 16 years and 304 days of age, he became the youngest goal scorer for Spain. He also broke the record of seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi as the youngest. This perfect finisher can be one of Spain's trump cards to win the World Cup for Spain.
Final Words
Spain does not have a big star on the team. Their performances in the last two World Cups have been disappointing. There is little speculation about the former champions at the Qatar World Cup.
In defense and midfield, Spain excels in performance. But this can cause them headaches again. The main concern of Spanish fans with the team is the lack of effectiveness in converting goals. Apart from these issues, Spain can be a silent killer for the big teams. Hopefully, this young and enthusiastic 2022 Spanish World Cup Squad can do better than the 2018 tournament.
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