Ever since the manager of Spain announced the list of 29 candidates for the EURO 2024 squad, it was clear that three names would have to be crossed out. The decision day has come, and Luis de la Fuente has made the cut: Pau Cubarsi, Marcos Llorente and Aleix Garcia will have to watch the continental tournament on TV or in the stands. However, this outcome couldn’t have been predicted, especially after Spain’s friendly match against Andorra two days ago. The Spaniards won the game convincingly as expected, 5-0, and Cubarsi and Garcia were both in the starting lineup, while Llorente got the entire second half to show what he knows. Then again, Andorra is nowhere near the level Spain is at, so it’s possible that de la Fuente simply wanted to rest some of the key players.Commence the countdown: France, England and Germany hungry for continental gloryBarcelona’s Cubarsi is only 17, and, based on what he has shown so far, his time is yet to come, and he will be one of the main players of La Roja in the upcoming years. The same thing could be said about Girona’s Aleix Garcia. Girona will debut in the Champions League next season, and Garcia will have the opportunity to show himself on the biggest football stage. Llorente’s situation is a bit more complicated. Namely, he is already 29, and de la Fuente obviously opts to rely on younger players. However, Llorente is an important cog in Diego Simeone’s machinery at Atletico Madrid, and the national team’s door is surely not closed for him.##NAJAVA_MECA_8148350##The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), however, found an interesting and quite innovative way to announce the names of the chosen 26 players. Namely, various members of players’ families (fathers, mothers, children, wives…) recorded video messages announcing to their loved ones that they would be in the squad. We can only imagine how emotional these messages must have been for the players.🥹 Papá, amigo, nieto, hermano, marido… Tengo algo importante que decirte: 𝗩𝗔𝗦 𝗔 𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗔 #EURO2024.Esta es la lista definitiva de España para la @EURO2024 y no hay mejor narrador para este vídeo que alguien que sabe MUCHO de GANAR: @RafaelNadal.#VamosEspaña pic.twitter.com/j9AytBlxYM— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) June 7, 2024 In the last preparatory match before the beginning of the European Championship, Spain will play against Northern Ireland on Saturday. The Spaniards are in, according to many, the toughest group at the tournament, Group B, along with Croatia, Italy and Albania.EURO 2024 SPAIN FINAL SQUAD:Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), David Raya (Arsenal), Álex Remiro (Real Sociedad)Defenders: Jesús Navas (Sevilla), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea)Midfielders: Martín Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Rodrigo (Manchester City), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Pedri (Barcelona), Fermín López (Barcelona), Álex Baena (Villareal)Forwards: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Joselu (Real Madrid), Álvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Nico Williams (Atletic Bilbao), Ayoze Pérez (Real Betis), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad)
