Mikel Oyarzabal was not supposed to be captain. According to the protocol established by Luis de la Fuente, the same one he had used in the lower categories of Spain, the leaders of the dressing room would be established not by age but by games with the national team. And so it was that Morata, Rodri, Carvajal and Dani Olmo took the lead in the group. However, De la Fuente had an extra concept when choosing his captains: his own will. If the coach saw a player with the ability to lead, he would add him to the group of leaders. The one chosen by the coach was Mikel Oyarzabal, precisely the player who gave Spain its fourth European title. It was not the only case, the coach not only bet, but also fought, so that certain players had their place and their weight, both on the field and in the dressing room. Some of them, even when everything seemed to indicate that the coach was wrong. De la Fuente was right, they were too: the coach looked after them; Laporte, Cucurella, Fabián, Morata, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have all made a name for themselves.
The perfect rhythm. Laporte had a hard time in Spain. First of all, doubts arose regarding his origins. Would a Frenchman be capable of defending La Roja? “I am here to compete at the highest level and my objective is the same as in Spain. No one should doubt that I will give everything to win,” he replied. When the debate about his birthplace was put aside, a new dilemma arose. Does a footballer who plays in the Saudi league have competitive rhythm? “The people who criticise me do not know if I train well or badly. They have no idea of the work I do and what I did to get here,” complained Laporte in the privacy of La Roja in Germany. After missing the first match due to physical problems, the defender was a starter against Italy, played only 45 minutes when La Roja was already qualifying against Albania and played every minute in the qualifiers. Laporte was right.
With red hair. After Jordi Alba’s departure, Spain’s left-back squad was filled by Alejandro Balde and Gayá. However, both were injured. De la Fuente then had no choice but to call up the hot kid in Europe, Grimaldo, who was essential in Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, and Cucurella, who was looking to rediscover his form at Chelsea. Grimaldo’s attacking power contrasted with Cucurella’s order. De la Fuente’s bet was on the latter. “I think Cucurella is one of the reasons why Spain could be out,” mocked Gary Neville. And even the German fans pointed at the full-back after the referee did not whistle a handball in the area in the match against the Mannschaft in the quarter-finals. Cucurella only missed the match against Albania and a few minutes against Georgia when the match was already decided. The rest were always present in the starting eleven. And even the play that led to Oyarzabal’s goal came from his boots. Now it will be his turn to dye his hair red, as he promised to do if Spain won the Euro.
Rescuing Fabian. A key player for De la Fuente in the Spanish youth teams, Fabian was also a key player for Luis Enrique. Until the Asturian got tired of him and left him out of the squad. But De la Fuente took charge of the senior side. Then, the PSG player, who had already earned Luis Enrique’s pardon at the Parisian club, took over the midfield alongside Rodri. He became the perfect complement to Rodri, the tournament’s MVP. “If his name wasn’t Fabian and his name was Fabinho, we would talk a lot more about a player like him, he’s extraordinary,” said the coach.
The captain’s eternal Via Crucis. Morata landed in Germany after a difficult year at Atlético, in which he had to overcome physical and emotional problems. But it turns out that La Roja is not Morata’s medicine, far from it. “The best situation for me is to go and play outside of Spain,” the captain who had been booed in La Roja’s last match at the Bernabéu against Brazil explained to Cadena Ser. He even considered leaving the national team: “It could be my last big tournament.” But De la Fuente gave his all to Morata, as did the group. “It reinforces the theory that in Spain, unfortunately, we find it difficult to recognise the good things we have. Morata has the numbers of a world superstar. This player would be a legend in another country with recognised prestige,” De la Fuente praised him. Morata responded with La Roja’s first goal in Germany, a key player for the success of Lamine and Nico Williams.
The kids in power. Unruly and fun, Nico Williams (22) and Lamine Yamal (17) arrived in Germany with a stigma: you can’t give the attacking weight to two children, at that time, before arriving in Berlin, neither of them had reached the age of five. What did it matter? “I don’t look at the ID, I look at the football of the players,” the coach justified. Lamine Yamal left the Euro with all the records of precocity of Pelé in a major tournament, in addition to scoring a great goal (France) and providing four assists, while Nico Williams scored two goals (one in the final) and another assist. The power of Spain was in the wings, the power was in the kids.
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