Madrid (AFP)
The Spanish national team’s squad for the men’s football competition at the Paris Olympics this summer included the names of Barcelona stars Pau Cobarci and Fermin Lopez, but without their teammates in the Catalan club Lamine Yamal.
After his brilliance at the heart of Barcelona’s defense despite his 17 years, it was expected that Cobarci would be included in the first Spanish national team squad that is currently competing in the European Cup finals in Germany, but coach Luis de la Fuente excluded him from the final squad consisting of 26 players, unlike his teammates Fermin Lopez (21). “years old” and Jamal “16 years old”.
Koparsi’s star shone in the second half of the season with Barcelona, and he played his first international match against Colombia in a friendly match last March.
Since he is not a key member of the Germany 2024 finals squad, Fermin Lopes’ name was included in the 22-player squad that will compete in the Paris Olympics scheduled between July 26 and August 11, while Yamal was excluded, after he imposed himself as the most important key member in La Fuente’s squad, which won its three matches in the tournament. Group stage and reached the final 16.
Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena, who started in the third round of the group stage match against Albania 1-0, was also summoned, after “La Roja” had already guaranteed its qualification and place in the second group against Italy, the defending champion.
The summoning of Fermin Lopez and Baena to the squad came despite the Spanish clubs’ decision not to allow their players to play in the European Cup and the Olympic Games together.
The Olympic team squad, supervised by coach Santi Denia, includes many young talents in the first division, such as defenders Miguel Gutierrez and Eric Garcia, who excelled last season with Girona on loan from Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, or Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios and his fellow scorer Samoa. Omorodion.
The squad will include three players aged 23 or over, the maximum number allowed, namely Sergio Gomez (23 years old – Manchester City, England), Abel Ruiz (24 years old – Braga, Portugal) and Juan Miranda (24 years old – Real Betis).
Spain hopes to make up for what it missed at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, when it missed the chance to win gold for only the second time in its history, after the first in 1992 on its home soil in Barcelona, by losing the final to defending champion Brazil 1-2 after extra time. “Regular time ended in a 1-1 draw.” ».
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