Luis de la Fuente reveals Spain’s post-World Cup roster with four champions missing

Luis de la Fuente named his first Spain squad since lifting the country’s second World Cup title, beating Argentina in the final, unveiling the list in an emotional video filmed from Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa.

The 26-man roster will report for Spain’s opening Nations League fixtures, with four matches on tap against Croatia twice, England, and the Czech Republic in Group 3 of League A.

Of the 26 players called up, 22 return from the World Cup-winning squad, but four champions were notably left off the list, one from each area of the field: goalkeeper Joan García, right-back Marcos Llorente, midfielder Gavi, and forward Borja Iglesias.

García’s absence is tied to a knee injury, while Gavi will miss out due to a suspension stemming from an altercation with Argentina’s Nahuel Molina and Leandro Paredes in the World Cup final. De la Fuente called up Josep Martínez and Fermín Lopez to fill those two spots, respectively.

Llorente and Iglesias, meanwhile, both announced their retirements from the national team shortly after winning the World Cup, prompting De la Fuente to turn to Dean Huijsen and Roberto Fernández as their replacements.

Spain’s full squad for this international break

• Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal), Josep Martínez (Inter Milan).

• Defenders: Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Club), Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona), Eric García (Barcelona), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Marc Pubill (Atlético Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham), Alejandro Grimaldo (Atlético Madrid), Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid).

• Midfielders: Rodri (Barcelona), Martín Zubimendi (Arsenal), Mikel Merino (Arsenal), Pedri (Barcelona), Fabián Ruíz (PSG), Fermín Lopez (Barcelona), Álex Baena (Atlético Madrid).

• Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Víctor Muñoz (Liverpool), Roberto Fernández (Espanyol), Ferrán Torres (PSG), Dani Olmo (Barcelona).

These four changes speak more to circumstance than any shake-up in philosophy from De la Fuente. Between an injury, a suspension, and two surprise retirements, the Spain boss was essentially forced into adjusting his roster, and had it not been for those factors, there’s a strong chance the group that conquered North America would have remained fully intact for this next chapter.