Sergio Ramos and the most notable absences of Spain for the Qatar World Cup

Luis Enrique already has the trusted men who will accompany him to Qatar in search of a second World Cup.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
11 November 2022 Friday 08:34
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Sergio Ramos and the most notable absences of Spain for the Qatar World Cup

Luis Enrique already has the trusted men who will accompany him to Qatar in search of a second World Cup. The challenge is difficult, but not impossible. In that list of 26 there will be no footballers who until not so long ago were immovable and others who have been left out diminished by their physique. These are some of the most prominent names.

There was a rumor that Sergio Ramos would have the chance to return to the Spanish team at some point or another. It will not be to play his fourth World Cup. The former captain and the current player with the most caps in the red is playing regularly for PSG this season, but the fact that he has put his constant injuries behind him has not changed Luis Enrique's opinion. Despite not having plenty of central defenders, the Spanish coach has preferred to bet on men like Laporte, Eric Garcia, Hugo Guillamón and Pau Torres.

The old guard has regained ground on the left side. The lost role of Jordi Alba at Barça has not influenced Luis Enrique's decision to include him on the list. The big loser is Alejandro Balde, a footballer who has surprised in this first part of the season. The coach considers that Alba and Gayà are still ahead of the Blaugrana youth squad. Another Barça winger who is not here is Marcos Alonso, already absent in the last calls.

With eight goals in the first 13 league games, the Betis striker had started the season like a shot. That is why Luis Enrique took it into account in the last national team break. Borja Iglesias made his senior debut at the age of 29, playing 27 minutes against Switzerland and saw the victory against Portugal on the bench. Not even the absence of men like Oyarzabal or Gerard Moreno have given him an opportunity. The illusion of the Asturian to recover the best Ansu Fati has weighed.

Injuries have been a constant for the Villarreal striker this 2022. His lack of continuity and with relapses every two times three, his return to the national team has been very limited. Since he played the European Championship in 2021 he has only played one game with the national team.

There were doubts about who would be the fourth man and finally it will not be the Athletic player. Iñigo Martínez, who seems to be strengthening Barça's defense for next season, has played four games since the European Championship (all as a starter), but was absent from the last call. In June against the Czech Republic, twice, he played his last games for Spain.

After a season under the shadow of Édouard Mendy, the Basque goalkeeper has regained weight at Chelsea with Graham Potter on the bench. Even so, his performance has not made Luis Enrique doubt. He was very clear about the three chosen, two of them also from English football, although belonging to more modest teams (Robert Sánchez at Brighton and David Raya at Brentford)

The extraordinary season of Real Sociedad has not had a prize as far as players are concerned. A permanent fixture on the list would have been Mikel Oyarzabal, but he has not been able to recover in time from the knee injury that has kept him off the pitch since March. Luis Enrique had a few words towards the Basque attacker. He was the only absentee he mentioned.

The third place of the txuri-urdin in the League has not served either to see men who have scratched at a good level at this start of the course such as Mikel Merino and especially Brais Méndez.