Spain national team: this was the renewal of Colombia's next rival

ANDSpain once again bet on its roots to try to reach the fight for the title at Euro 2024, after a disappointing participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In the midst of the institutional earthquake that led to the departure of the president of the Federation, Luis Rubiales, the team focuses on mixing youth and experience. That will be the rival that will test Néstor Lorenzo's Colombian National Team this Friday in London.

La Roja said goodbye to the World Cup in the round of 16, after losing against Morocco on penalty kicks after 120 goalless minutes. That was December 6, 2022.

Luis Enrique did not manage to get off the plane and get home when they already had a replacement: two days after the elimination, the RFEF announced as the new coach Luis de la Fuente.

The coach, born in Haro 62 years ago, came to office with the idea of ​​taking advantage of all his work with the minor categories of the Spanish team: he directed the under-19 and under-21 teams with good results: he won the European championships in both categories and won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In the senior team, De la Fuente has already achieved one title: the 2023 Nations League, in which they beat Croatia in shots from the penalty spot. That crown once again excites the Spaniards with rising to the top of the continent again.

De la Fuente, in the call to face Colombia, no longer has any of the world champion players in South Africa 2010.

Nor does any of the Red team that failed in Brazil 2014 repeat. The renewal is still underway. Instead, Colombia still has five players from the World Cup list of 23 from ten years ago: the goalkeepers David Ospina and Camilo Vargas, the winger Santiago Arias and the creatives Juan Fernando Quintero and James Rodríguez.

Even with respect to the team that went to Qatar, only nine players remain: two goalkeepers, Unai Simón and David Raya; two defenders, Dani Carvajal and Aymeric Laporte, a midfielder, Rodri, and four forwards, Álvaro Morata, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo and Pablo Sarabia. It should be noted that there are players who are still on their radar, but are injured, such as Ferrán Torres and Marco Asensio.

The youth players who excite La Roja

De la Fuente is not afraid to play with players who are practically children: there is Pau Cubarsi, Barcelona's central defender, 17 years old, and Lamine Yamal, 16.

“All of us who have seen Pau play know the category he has (…) We do not look at the identity card but at the performance, that is why he is here,” said the coach of Spain.

David Raya, one of De la Fuente's trusted goalkeepers, also highlighted the contribution of Cubarsi and Yamal.

“It is a pleasure to be able to have such young players with us. For young people it is a pride to see that they are in the senior team. My career is very atypical, each one is different and they are touched by a wand and they show it every game. Happy that they are with us and contribute to us,” Raya said.

Next to the young people, De la Fuente puts experienced players who can lend a hand, like Pablo Sarabia, who was not in the National Team since the elimination in Qatar.

“I don't feel old for being 31 years old, I'm in a very good stage of my life, in the best moment of my career. There is a big age difference, but we try to provide the much-needed experience in any team,” declared the attacker. from Wolverhampton.

Many things have changed since the last friendly between Spaniards and Colombians, in 2017. Only one of the Europeans who played that day remains, Álvaro Morata, and three of the South Americans, Ospina, Arias and James. Spain undertook a total renovation, with no age limit, neither above nor below.

Jose Orlando Ascencio

Sports Deputy Editor

@josasc

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