Humbled in their last two final tournaments, Spain, the 2010 world champions, are this year, once again, among the favourites to win the World Cup. Led into battle by the impressive Julen Lopetegui, who has yet to lose a game in his two years at the helm and was a European championship-winning coach at both Under-19 and Under-21 level, La Roja are serious contenders to claim a second world crown in Russia.
There is one notable absentee from the 23-man squad selected by Lopetegui in Chelsea striker Álvaro Morata, but otherwise it is as expected, with four of its members having won over 100 caps (plus another set to join them in Russia) and only two having played no part in a qualifying campaign that yielded nine wins and a draw, including a handsome 3-0 victory at home to Italy – the team that eliminated them from Euro 2016 but will not be competing at the World Cup finals for the first time in 60 years.
I have run the rule over Lopetegui’s picks, dug deep into their international career stats and come up with some fascinating bits of trivia that you will probably be hard pushed to find elsewhere.
I am compiling similar information on the other 13 European teams in the build-up to the Big Kick-off on Thursday, June 14. Several are already on the site.
Here is the Spain squad with the players’ current club, caps and goals:
Goalkeepers
David de Gea (Manchester United, 27/0), Kepa (Athletic Bilbao, 1/0), Pepe Reina (Napoli, 36/0)
Defenders
César Azpilicueta (Chelsea, 21/0), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid, 15/0), Jordi Alba (Barcelona, 60/8), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal, 21/1), Nacho (Real Madrid, 15/0), Álvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad, 2/0), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona, 96/5), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, 151/13),
Midfielders
Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, 102/2), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona, 125/14), Koke (Atlético Madrid, 38/0), Saúl Ñíguez (Atlético Madrid, 9/0), David Silva (Manchester City, 119/35), Thiago Alcántara (Bayern Munich, 27/2)
Forwards
Marco Asensio (Real Madrid ,10/0), Diego Costa (Atlético Madrid, 18/7), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo, 8/4), Isco (Real Madrid, 27/10), Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid, 5/0), Rodrigo (Valencia, 4/2)
The total number of international caps gained by the 23 players is 937. The number of caps gained in competitive fixtures (i.e. World Cup, Euro and Confederations Cup matches) is 513. The number of caps gained at final tournaments (Confederations Cup included) is 183. The number of caps gained at the World Cup finals is 50.
The total number of international goals scored by the 23 players is 103. The number of goals scored in competitive fixtures is 67. The number of goals scored at final tournaments is 11. The number of goals scored at the World Cup finals is 2.
The number of players in the squad appearing at their first final tournament is 10. The number of players appearing at their first World Cup is 12.
There are 11 survivors from the Euro 2016 squad: De Gea, Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Busquets, Iniesta, Koke, Silva, Thiago and Lucas Vázquez.
There are 11 survivors from the 2014 World Cup squad: De Gea, Reina, Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Busquets, Iniesta, Koke, Silva and Diego Costa.
There are 9 survivors from the 2013 Confederations Cup squad: Reina, Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Monreal, Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Busquets, Iniesta and Silva.
There are 7 survivors from the triumphant Euro 2012 squad: Reina, Jordi Alba, Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Busquets, Iniesta and Silva.
There are 6 survivors from the victorious 2010 World Cup squad: Reina, Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Busquets, Iniesta and Silva.
There are 5 survivors from the 2009 Confederations Cup squad: Reina, Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Busquets and Silva.
There are 4 survivors from the winning Euro 2008 squad: Reina, Sergio Ramos, Iniesta and Silva.
There are 2 survivors from the 2006 World Cup squad: Sergio Ramos and Iniesta.
Confederations Cups included, Sergio Ramos will be travelling to his ninth final tournament – and fourth World Cup. The 2018 World Cup will be the eighth tournament for Iniesta and Silva, the seventh for Reina, Piqué and Busquets, the fifth for Jordi Alba, the fourth for Azpilicueta and the third for De Gea and Koke. Iniesta will also be competing at his fourth World Cup.
Sergio Ramos has played the most final tournament matches: 36 (13 at the World Cup, 15 at the Euro and eight at the Confederations Cup). Iniesta is next with 31 (10, 16 and 5), followed by a trio on 26: Piqué (8, 10 and 8), Busquets (9, 10 and 7) and Silva (5, 15 and 6).
Although Reina has been to six final tournaments, he has participated in only four matches (1, 1 and 2).
Only one squad member has never played a competitive international: Kepa. One more – Lucas Vázquez – has yet to feature in a World Cup fixture.
Six players have appeared in over 25 competitive internationals. Their records are as follows:
Sergio Ramos – Pld 90 W70 D10*** L10 (of which at final tournaments Pld 36 W24 D4*** L8)
Iniesta – Pld 72 W56 D8*** L8 (Pld 31 W21 D4*** L6)
Silva – Pld 66 W52 D8*** L6 (Pld 26 W17 D4*** L5)
Busquets – Pld 62 W49 D6** L7 (Pld 26 W17 D3** L6)
Piqué – Pld 60 W48 D5** L7 (Pld 26 W17 D3** L6)
Jordi Alba – Pld 38 W26 D6** L6 (Pld 17 W9 D3** L5)
* draw followed by victory on penalties
Eight of the players in the squad have won every competitive international they have played in: Isco (15 matches), Reina (8), Monreal (8), Asensio (4), Saúl (3), Iago Aspas (3), Odriozola (1) and Rodrigo (1). Additionally, two more are undefeated in their competitive fixtures for Spain: Carvajal (W6 D1) and Nacho (W5 D1).
Reina has been on the winning side on all four of his final tournament appearances.
Silva is the squad’s leading scorer in competitive internationals, with 20 goals. He is the only player on double figures, with Sergio Ramos and Iniesta both one short of that landmark on nine.
Spain have won all 16 competitive games in which Silva has scored. He is one of ten players in the squad whose competitive goals have come exclusively in wins, the others being Jordi Alba (6 goals), Isco (6), Diego Costa (6), Piqué (4), Busquets (2), Iago Aspas (2), Monreal (1), Thiago (1) and Rodrigo (1).
No player in the squad has ever scored a competitive goal for Spain and been on the losing side.
Silva has scored the most goals in final tournaments (5), but Iniesta is the only squad member to have scored at the World Cup finals, both of them coming in 2010 – against Chile and, in the final, the Netherlands. Those are Iniesta’s only final tournament goals.
No player appeared in all ten of Spain’s 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Four started nine games: De Gea, Sergio Ramos, Busquets and Silva.
Silva, Diego Costa and Isco all top-scored for Spain with five goals in 2018 World Cup qualifying, a figure matched by squad absentee Morata. Another non-selected player, Vitolo, scored four.
Four players in the squad – Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Busquets and Iniesta – have played three times against Group B rivals Portugal, all from the start, including the matches at the 2010 World Cup (1-0) and Euro 2012 (0-0; won on penalties) en route to Spain’s trophy successes.
No member of the squad has faced Iran or Morocco.
All but six of the 23 players play their club football in Spain, with Real Madrid (six), Barcelona (four) and Atlético Madrid (three) providing multiple representatives alongside one apiece from Athletic Bilbao, Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad and Valencia.
Four of the six foreign exiles are based in England, with one each from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, with the other two playing their club football in Germany (Bayern Munich) and Italy (Napoli).
Comments