Spain Euro 2024 squad: Who makes the cut? Which stars have missed out?

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has named Barcelona's Fermin Lopez and Real Betis' Ayoze Perez in his final squad for this summer's European Championship, but there is no space for Pau Cubarsi.

Fermin and Perez made their debuts in the team's 5-0 win over Andorra, with the latter on the scoresheet, and both have now been included in the final 26-man squad.

Cubarsi, 17, had been expected to be named in the final selection, having started against Andorra, but the Barcelona centre-back has been cut alongside Marcos Llorente and Aleix Garcia.

Three Premier League players have been included, with David Raya, who is on loan at Arsenal from Brentford, named in the squad alongside Chelsea's Marc Cucurella and Manchester City's Rodri.

However, there was no room, even in the preliminary squad, for Aston Villa's Pau Torres or Tottenham Hotspur's Pedro Porro, while Marco Asensio is another notable absentee for the European giants; Gavi is also out of the competition due to a long-term knee injury.

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Cubarsi's withdrawal is a surprise

Unsurprisingly, Barcelona's teenage duo Lamine Yamal and Cubarsi were included in the initial squad, with the pair impressing at club level last season, but only the former has retained his spot, with Cubarsi not doing enough to earn a position in the final selection.

Unai Simon is set to be the team's number one goalkeeper at Euro 2024, while Dani Carvajal, Aymeric Laporte and Nacho are notable inclusions in defence.

Dani Vivian also makes it due to his form for Athletic Bilbao during the 2023-24 campaign; Alex Baena of Villarreal will be bidding to add to his three caps at the tournament, while as mentioned, Perez is the surprise inclusion in the final third of the field.

Joselu has contributed heavily for Real Madrid this season, scoring 17 times in all competitions, and he is another option in an attacking area.

Spain have been hugely impressive in their two pre-tournament friendlies, beating Andorra 5-0 and Northern Ireland 5-1, dispelling claims that there are not enough goals in the squad; Alvaro Morata is comfortably leading in that area with 35 in 73 caps, and he will also captain the team at the competition.

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Morata is the squad's leading goalscorer with 35

Ferran Torres is second in the goalscoring charts with 19, while Mikel Oyarzabal has 10 and Dani Olmo eight, and it will be fascinating to see how De la Fuente lines his side up at Euro 2024.

Rodri is the leading goalscorer from midfield with three, while Jesus Navas is actually the highest-scoring defender in the squad with five.

Navas, 38, will be bidding to add to his 52 international caps, but Carvajal will undoubtedly be Spain's first-choice right-back at the tournament providing that he is available.

Alex Grimaldo is also expected to be the number one left-back for Spain this summer, with Barcelona's Alejandro Balde a notable absentee due to a long-term injury.

Spain will open their Euro 2024 campaign against Croatia on June 15; Italy and Albania are also present in a strong section, but La Roja will be expecting to finish at the summit.

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What will success look like for Spain this summer?

Spain are not being mentioned among the favourites to triumph at this summer's European Championship.

Indeed, England and France are fancied by many to claim the crown, with Portugal and Germany also seen as contenders for the trophy, with Spain then arguably ahead of the likes of Italy and Netherlands.

La Roja have famously won the European Championship on three occasions, including in 2008 and 2012, while they made the semi-finals at Euro 2020 and cannot be discounted due to the quality in their squad.

Spain were knocked out in the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup, though, and they will have to raise their level to be considered as potential winners of the competition this summer.

Morata scored 21 times for Atletico during the 2023-24 campaign and is capable of being a real force at the tournament in Germany, and it would not be a shock to see them advance deep into the tournament.

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Recent form

Spain were impressive during their Euro 2024 qualification campaign, winning seven of their eight matches, picking up 21 points in the process, which left them at the top of Group A.

La Roja netted 25 times in the section, in addition to conceding just five.

As mentioned, De la Fuente's side triumphed in their two warm-up matches for the competition, beating Andorra 5-0 and Northern Ireland 5-1, but they did lose to Colombia in a friendly back in March.

The defeat to Colombia actually proved to be their first loss since a 2-0 reverse to Scotland in March 2023, and they have only been beaten twice since being knocked out of the 2022 World Cup.

Star player - Rodri

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The Spain squad is packed full of talent, but Rodri is the country's most important player.

The 27-year-old was again in excellent form for Manchester City during the 2023-24 campaign, scoring nine times and registering 14 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions.

Ahead of the tournament, De la Fuente told UEFA's official website: "For me, he is the best central midfielder in the world. He is the most complete number six. He stands out in every facet of the game.

"He understands how to attack, how to defend, he is unselfish, he looks to support, he's hard-working, he knows how to orchestrate play.

"For me, he is pure talent. He has learned that without hard work, pushing yourself and dedication, he would surely not have reached the level he has, even while playing under perhaps the best, or one of the best, coaches in the world."

If Spain are to succeed this summer, then they will need the midfielder, who has found the back of the net on three occasions for his country, to be at his best.

Spain's Euro 2024 squad

Goalkeepers: Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), David Raya (Arsenal), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao)

Defenders: Aymeric Laporte (Al-Nassr), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Nacho (Real Madrid), Marc Cucarella (Chelsea)

Midfielders: Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Fabian Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Fermin Lopez (Barcelona)

Forwards: Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Joselu (Real Madrid), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ayoze Perez (Real Betis), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao)

Group and fixtures

June 15: Spain 3-0 Croatia (5pm | Olympiastadion, Berlin)
June 20: Spain vs. Italy (8pm | Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)
June 24: Albania vs. Spain (8pm | Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig)