Football: Spain look forward to homecoming after Euro & Olympic glory in face of injury peril
The men's European and Olympic champions finally get to play their first home games since their summer of success.
Football
It was a summer like no other for Spanish football.
The men’s national team won back their crown to become kings of Europe on 14 July, beating England 2-1 in the 2024 European Championship final for their fourth continental title.
Little under a month later on 9 August, the Olympic men’s team followed up the Euro triumph with Olympic gold at Paris 2024, overcoming hosts France in a dramatic final that went to extra time.
Spain became the first men’s team since Cameroon in 2000 to win both continental and Olympic titles in the same year, a testament to the work of Luis de la Fuente and Santi Denia, the respective victorious coaches who have played their parts in developing the national youth setup to its current heights.
They celebrated on the streets of Madrid the day after winning EURO 2024, but now it is time to take the celebrations to the pitch – even if Spain are now fixated on the next silverware on offer.
Spain’s champions set for Andalucian homecoming
Spain's men are playing their first matches on Spanish soil since winning the Euros-Olympic double in the summer. They host Denmark on 12 October and Serbia on 15 October in the UEFA Nations League, for which La Roja are also the defending champions from 2023.
The matches are taking place in the southern Spanish cities of Murcia and Córdoba, a long-awaited prospect of playing in front of the home crowd which galvanised behind the team en route to glory.
There will be joyous scenes when the Spanish players take to the pitch for the first time at home with the shining silver ‘European Champions’ patch on their sleeves.
Murcia will be the place to be on Saturday night – the game against Denmark falls on Spanish national day, another reason to keep the celebrations going.
Spain have four points from their first two games after winning Euro 2024.
Spain are so far avoiding the post-victory slump that national teams have faced upon winning a major tournament.
After a goalless draw away to Serbia in their first game as defending champions, Spain turned up the heat in a rain-drenched Geneva to smash Switzerland 4-1.
They sit second in Group A4 with four points, with this double home header to be crucial if they want to win the group and reach a third consecutive Nations League finals.
De la Fuente rues key injury absentees
Coach De la Fuente had a strong squad planned, and 15 of the 24 names are the same as the team that triumphed at Euro 2024.
But big names have dropped one by one, some due to minor injuries and some for worse.
In September, star midfielder Rodri suffered a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus injury, dampening his Ballon D’Or aspirations and bringing his year to an abrupt end.
Rodri (right) and Dani Carvajal both suffered serious injuries between the September and October international breaks.
Then, just a week before Spain’s match against Denmark, Dani Carvajal tore his ACL as well as his external collateral ligament and a ruptured popliteus tendon.
Two key players out for the season and beyond significantly weakens Spain, also without number one goalkeeper Unai Simon who underwent wrist surgery after the Euros.
Spain should be able to cope, thanks to their impressive depth and lack of reliance on one player, with the major absentees offering the chance for others to step up into the shadows.
Euro & Olympic champions take the stage
The October squad sees the return of Spain’s double champions who were in both the Euro and Olympic squads.
Fermín López and Álex Baena are both back in the senior squad after missing the September fixtures, keen to build on from their important roles in the gold medal triumph at Paris 2024.
In fact, they make up a quartet of Olympic champions in this month’s squad. Barcelona starlet Pau Cubarsí can add to his three caps before turning 18 in January 2025, while Sergio Gómez was a late call-up to take the place of star winger Nico Williams.
It could prove an exciting opportunity for the youngsters to further establish themselves in the senior setup, offering fresh blood and Olympic experience for the defending European champions.
Spain host top-of-the-table Denmark in Murcia on Saturday, 12 October, before La Roja make the 500km journey across Andalucia to Córdoba to take on Serbia next Tuesday, 15 October.