Spain’s Nations League squad: 5 players who missed the cut

On Monday, with the help of World Cup winners Vicente del Bosque, Iker Casillas, Joan Capdevila, Andrés Iniesta and Fernando Torres, Luis de la Fuente (LDF) announced which 26 players could be in line to travel to Germany for the final phase of the Nations League.

With three players still to be cut, the list included some unexpected names, with Isco finally being given a deserved call-up after an exceptional season playing for Real Betis, and Gavi returning despite his inconsistency since coming back from injury. Other selected names such as Samu Aghehowa, Álex Remiro, Yeremy Pino, or even Álvaro Morata, have also surprised some fans.

But in football it’s impossible to please everyone, and there are always players left out for one reason or another. Here are five who could very well have been called up for Spain, but will have to watch the Nations League from home.

Raúl Asencio

Realistically speaking, he was Real Madrid’s only eligible player for the Spanish squad, after a convincing campaign, often starting for Carlo Ancelotti. He was also called up by Luis de la Fuente in March, even though he didn’t get the chance to make his official debut. One wonders whether the Spanish national team manager wasn’t fully convinced by what he saw at the training ground, or if the omission has anything to do with his ongoing legal indictment: charges of disclosing secrets without consent and distributing pornographic material involving minors. In any case, the reasoning provided by LDF was that he selected the current four best Spanish centre-backs available; an explanation that didn’t go down too well with Madrid fans.

Iñigo Martínez

Barça’s domestic treble in this 2024/25 season would probably never have happened without Iñigo Martínez, who was Flick’s leader in defence. That didn’t go unnoticed by LDF, who called him up in March, but had to withdraw due to an injury. Now it seemed like he might get a second chance, but recent images of Iñigo waving the Catalan independence flag during Barça’s title celebrations, combined with his focus on his club and a potential contract extension, might have been enough for LDF to choose other options and avoid further controversy regarding the Basque player.

Joan García

For many, he was the best goalkeeper of the season despite playing for a team that fought to avoid relegation until the very end. His saves throughout the campaign were definitely crucial for his team to survive the fall, and now he’s attracted the attention of multiple LaLiga and Premier League clubs. His release clause is worth 25 million euros, and would’ve increased by 5 million euros had LDF called him up. Again, it seems like LDF doesn’t want any problems, and knowing Joan García was likely going to rest on the bench anyway, he opted to stick with his usual three goalkeepers, who are an important part of the dressing room and the team’s good atmosphere.

Alejandro Balde

Despite an injury that had him out for a while, Balde has been Barça starting left full-back for most of the season. He was surely in Spain’s longlist, but ultimately got left out in favour of Marc Cucurella, who’s been LDF’s go-to guy in that position. He also chose Alejandro Grimaldo ahead of him, who’s been a reliable back-up option. Balde, who’s just 21, will surely get further opportunities to be called up in the near future.

Ferran Torres

The end of the season has been quite a nightmare for him, missing the last games and all the title celebrations because of appendicitis in mid-May. To make matters worse, the recovery process means he can’t play for Spain in the Nations League, becoming a big absence for LDF. After all the criticism he’s received over the years for getting called up when he wasn’t at his best playing for his club, now that he’s been shining and establishing himself as a key asset for Barça, he’s going to have to watch the game against France at home.