No Real Madrid players in Spain's World Cup squad for first time
For the first time in the country's 17 World Cup participations, Spain's squad features zero players from Real Madrid.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has named his 26-man squad for the upcoming World Cup, and for the first time in the nation's 92-year history at the tournament, there are no representatives from Real Madrid.
The squad features eight players from Barcelona, highlighting a significant shift in the national team's composition. While the number of Madrid players in Spain squads has been trending downward recently, including an absence at Euro 2020, this latest development marks a historic milestone.
I don’t look at where the players come from. They’re national team players, I don’t look at one club or another. I don’t have the same local bias that a fan might have. All I want is for these players to feel proud to represent the national team. Luis de la Fuente
The exclusion reflects a difficult campaign for the Bernabeu club, which has now gone consecutive seasons without a major trophy. Young prospects such as Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras, and Gonzalo Garcia were once viewed as the future core, but inconsistent form and managerial instability under Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa hampered their progression.
The situation has inevitably entered the political arena at the Bernabeu. Presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme, who is challenging Florentino Perez, criticized the lack of national representation, labeling it a disappointment for the club's supporters and vowing to restore Madrid's influence within the Spanish national setup.