Staff Reporter
The preliminary roster for Spain’s Euro 2024 squad has been released. The group of 29 players will be further reduced to 26 by June 7 with Spain’s first match coming on June 15 against Croatia. Those 26 players will be expected to build on Spain’s third-place finish at the last Euros and wipe away the memory of a disappointing Round of 16 exit at the last World Cup.
As the start of the Euros approaches, anticipation and excitement are building. The same is true for the attention on the tournament from sports bettors. Fortunately, there are many online betting sites with betting markets on the Euros. This allows the average fan to explore legal betting and find a sportsbook that fits what they want.
As for the Spanish squad, the biggest takeaway from the preliminary roster is how young the team is. There are nine players who have two caps or fewer. This means that several established veteran players are among the players who didn’t make the cut. While there is time to focus on the Spanish team before the tournament, let’s take a quick look at the notable players left off Spain’s roster for the 2024 Euros.
Marco Asensio
At age 28, Asensio should be in his prime and a key part of La Roja. After all, he’s been a part of Spain’s last two World Cup squads and even scored a goal during the 2022 World Cup. However, that’s just one of two international goals he has in 38 caps for Spain. Asensio just hasn’t produced consistently at the international level. He also didn’t see a ton of action with PSG this past season, only playing in 36% of the minutes available to him. Based on that, it’s not a huge shock to see him left off the squad.
Gavi
To be fair, Gavi was omitted from the Spanish squad because of an injury. The ACL tear he suffered last November isn’t healed enough for him to participate in the Euros. Despite being one of Spain’s best midfielders, there’s no sense in trying to rush him back for the Euros or the Olympics. Naturally, his absence certainly weakens Spain’s squad this summer.
Pedro Porro
Coming off an impressive season in the Premier League for Tottenham, it was a little surprising to see Porro omitted from Spain’s team for the Euros. La Roja is relying primarily on full-backs over the age of 30, so it would have made sense to bring the 240-year-old Porro. Luis de la Fuente could have easily dropped either Marc Cucurella or Alex Grimaldo, both left-backs, in favor of having a young, fast, and attack-minded right back like Porro part of the Euro 2024 squad.
Isco
The 32-year-old Isco is another player who is absent because of an injury. He was enjoying a resurgent season with Real Betis until a broken leg ended his season and any hope of playing in the Euros. It would have been a wonderful story to see him return to La Roja after not playing internationally since 2019. As a veteran, Isco’s presence could have been useful on such a young team. Plus, he may have proven to be a useful contributor, even if his role was coming off the bench.
Sergio Ramos
Technically, Ramos retired from international play. However, he has hinted that he’d be willing to come back, so he has to be mentioned among the omissions. Ramos played 28 La Liga matches for Sevilla this season and could have provided depth and experience. With rosters expanding from 23 to 26, de la Fuente could have used the extra space to bring Ramos back.
Pau Torres
Torre must be scratching his head and wondering what else he could have done to make the Euros roster. At age 27, he’s in his prime and was a part of the Spanish side at the last Euros and the 2022 World Cup. This past season, all Torres did was help Aston Villa come out of nowhere to qualify for next season’s Champions League. His absence is certainly one of the more puzzling decisions made by de la Fuente.
Adama Traore
It’s well established that Traore doesn’t fit that well into how Spain typically plays. He also didn’t log a ton of minutes or make much of an impact with Fulham this past season. However, Spain doesn’t have a ton of great wingers, certainly not many with Traore’s unique blend of power and speed. Also, there is bound to be a time during the Euros when Spain has to play more direct and less possession-based football. In those situations, a player like Traeore can provide a useful change of pace coming off the bench, providing a dimension nobody else on the roster can provide. That’s what makes his absence from Spain’s Euro 2024 roster notable.
