SPAIN

Olmo is still trying to prove himself as a starter with Barcelona and Spain; inconsistency is what is holding him back from being an important player for both teams. He does, however, have a quality that is useful to both Hansi Flick and Luis de la Fuente: that of adapting to different roles in midfield and attack. He’s played as a winger and in a midfield three, also as the creative half of a two-man pivot. But No 10 is his preferred position and De la Fuente might just have an opening in that department at the World Cup after Mikel Merino’s fitness problems. De la Fuente has always had his eye on Olmo, even after he left Barcelona for Dinamo Zagreb at the age of 17: the Spain coach, then in charge of the Under-19s, never failed to call him up.

Spain’s first Ballon d’Or winner since 1960 arrives at this World Cup with a couple of question marks hanging over him. One is whether he can put to bed doubts over his fitness that have been lingering since he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in September 2024. Muscle injuries have hampered his return to full fitness despite Pep Guardiola’s best efforts at managing his minutes this season. After returning to his best at times for Manchester City, injury problems affected his end to the campaign and it remains to be seen what sort of condition he will be in for the World Cup. If he’s fit, he will start ahead of Martín Zubimendi. But if he’s anything short of 100%, Luis de la Fuente will have a decision to make because of the form of the Arsenal player.

Spanish football’s rising star has become one of world football’s superstars. After finishing second in the Ballon d’Or standings to Ousmane Dembélé last year the Barcelona winger was already setting his sights on the top prize. Despite winning his second consecutive league title, it has not been a straightforward season for the 18-year-old, who caused a spat with Real Madrid before and after last October’s clásico and has missed spells – including the final weeks of the campaign – with injury. However, there’s no doubt now that he is Barcelona and Spain’s talisman. If he avoids further fitness issues and leads La Roja to glory in North America, he will be many people’s pick for this year’s Ballon d’Or. The son of a Guinean mother and a Moroccan father, Yamal has broken records throughout his career, including becoming the youngest person to play and to score for Spain at 16 years and 57 days.

No one in the Spanish national team has grown more since Euro 2024 than Mikel Oyarzabal. His 86th-minute goal in the final against England propelled him to stardom, and since then, his performances and confidence have only continued to improve. He started that tournament as a substitute, but since then has become an undisputed starter. He arrives at his first World Cup – he missed 2022 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which kept him out for nine months – in exceptional form, having banked his most prolific season at club level and scored 11 goals in the his 10 internationals before the squad was named. Oyarzabal has a degree in business administration, having combined his studies with football. “There were days when I was tired when I got to class, or I was depressed because we had lost, but it was a good way to disconnect with football,” he said. While not particularly tall – he measures 1.79m - Oyarzabal wears size 12 boots . “People are curious but you get used to it,” he says. “I’ve had big feet since I was very young.”

The left-back has become a surprise leader of this Spain team. He was key to the Euro 2024 triumph, setting up Mikel Oyarzabal’s winner in the final, and is now one of the main figures in the buildup to the World Cup. At Chelsea he has gone from being a target of ridicule for his €60m transfer fee to one of the most respected players at the club – even during a difficult season his starting place has been undisputed. His stamina on the wing and ferocity in challenging for the ball have made him such an important player for Luis de la Fuente too. Last year Cucurella and his wife Claudia opened up to the media about their family life and the challenges of being a parent to his autistic son.