This is the Spanish squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup: stars, players, possible starting lineup
The Spanish players, Eric García, Gavi and Pedri after a friendly against Albania before Qatar 2022. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Led by Luis Enrique, Spain arrives as one of the favorites for the World Cup in Qatar, with figures such as Pedri, Sergio Busquets and Ansu Fati standing out.
After the mess of 2018 with the arrival and dismissal of Julen Lopetegui and after Luis Enrique’s forced absence due to a personal issue, the coach has achieved a new identity for La Roja with young players and an ideal tie (6 wins, a draw and a defeat).
Now she is seventh in the FIFA ranking. In the Eurocup that was played in 2021, Spain was a semifinalist, eliminated by the eventual champion Italy, and in the League of Nations it is the leader of Group A2. In 2021 they lost the final of the last edition of that League against France, but since then they have only lost one game (against Switzerland).
Here, a review of the stars of La Roja.
The Spanish stars of Qatar
Pedri
The midfielder from the Canary Islands for FC Barcelona, at just 19 years old, is already one of the banners of Spanish football due to his creativity when it comes to generating play and his incombustible physique.
In 2020 he made his debut in the Spanish First Division. In 2021 he made his debut with the Spanish national team to play the qualifying matches for the World Cup in Qatar. That year he ended up playing the Eurocup and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (postponed to 2021 due to the covid-19 pandemic). Since then, he has become a fixture at both his club and the national team.
In 2021 he also won the Golden Boy, the award that rewards, in the style of the Ballon d’Or, the best young player in the world under 21 years of age.
Sergio Busquets
At 34 years old, he is the captain of the team.
He was world champion with Spain in 2010 and Europe in 2012 and this will be his fourth world championship. He also won three Champions League with FC Barcelona.
He is the third player with the most matches in the history of the Spain team with 139 matches before the World Cup began in Qatar.
Despite his age and suffering in the most physical matches, Busquets is one of the indispensable midfielders for FC Barcelona and the Spanish team due to his ability to organize the game.
Ansu Fati
Another of the promising youngsters of FC Barcelona and the Spanish team is Ansu Fati. At 20 years old, the striker is one of the most talented players in Spanish football due to his ability to score and look for the goal, but he arrives at Qatar 2022 with the shadow of knowing if he will be able to recover his level after two years in which he has suffered serious injuries, including one to the meniscus that led to surgery.
The Spanish coach, Luis Enrique, said that he was one of the players who surprised him the most the first time he saw him: “On the first ball that Ansu touched, he hit his mark and they gave him a penalty and I told a partner ‘but what is this, Oliver and Benji (known in Latin America as Supercampeones)?'”.
He obtained the mark of being the youngest player to score an official goal in the history of the Spanish team at 17 years and 311 days, until he was surpassed by his teammate and national team Gavi at 17 years and 304 days.
Complete list of summoned from Spain
When he announced the summoned For the World Cup, Luis Enrique said, with his particular style, that he had a ‘macanuda’ list. “I am fully convinced that we are going to fight,” he said.
This is the list of the 26 called, which has some notable absences such as defense Sergio Ramos and striker Lago Aspas.
goalkeepers
unai simon
robert sanchez
David Raya
defenses
Dani Carvajal
César Azpilicueta
Eric Garcia
Hugo Guillamón
Pau Torres
Aymeric Laporte
Jordi Alba
Alejandro Balde
Midfielders
Sergio Busquets
Rodri
Gavi
Carlos Soler
Marcos Llorente
Pedri
Immediately
strikers
Ferran Torres
Pablo Sarabia
Jeremy Pino
Alvaro Morata
Marco Asensio
Nico Williams
Ansu Fati
Dani Olmo
Possible starting lineup
Spain debuts this Wednesday against Costa Rica. The group stage will also face him against Germany (Sunday, November 27) and against Japan (Thursday, December 1).
For this Tuesday, according to Marca’s forecast, there are eight players who could go out on the pitch: Unai Simón in goal; Dani Carvajal, Laporte and Jordi Alba in defense; Busquets, Pedri and Gavi in midfield and Marco Asensio up front. The biggest doubts, others agree local media such as Antena 3they are precisely on the offensive.
In a recent Twitch broadcast, Luis Enrique evaluated the Costa Rican team. “The game against Costa Rica will be similar to that of Jordan. A team locked up behind, something common that we usually find in the matches of the Spanish National Team. They are difficult games, but they also have many possibilities if we manage to circulate the ball quickly, if we arrive inside, outside, if we finish… it’s difficult but we’re used to that and it doesn’t worry me,” he said.
With information from Sergio Gómez, Sebastián Jiménez Valencia, Felipe Monforte and Ángela Reyes from CNN en Español.