Spain boss Luis Enrique has confirmed his 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with some eye-catching omissions.
La Roja face a warm up friendly against Jordan on November 17 before starting their Group E campaign against Costa Rica on November 23.
Enrique has kept up his pattern of eye-catching squad announcements with a dramatic live reading at RFEF headquarters earlier today.
🚨 OFICIAL | Convocatoria de la @SEFutbol para el Mundial de Catar.
👥 Estos son los 26 jugadores elegidos por @LUISENRIQUE21 para defender a España en la gran cita.
🤗 Esta es mi lista, la tuya, es #LaListaDeTodos.
🇪🇸 ¡¡#VamosEspaña!! ¡¡VAMOS A HACER ALGO GRANDE!!#Catar2022 pic.twitter.com/6PhppxRDc1
— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) November 11, 2022
The inclusion of Barcelona hotshot Ansu Fati was the big talking point in terms of players picked by Enrique but there was more attention on the players left out.
Liverpool playmaker Thiago Alcantara was a notable absentee with former captain Sergio Ramos also failing to make the bridge from the 55-man provisional panel.
Ramos has impressed for Paris Saint-Germain in recent weeks, and La Roja’s all time leading appearance maker (180) was tipped for a shock recall.
The decision to overlook Ramos as criticised by former Los Blancos defender Achraf Hakimi, with the pair now reunited as teammates in Paris.
“Sergio Ramos is the best defender in the world”, he posted on social media regarding the 36-year-old missing out on the chance of a final World Cup appearance.
Sergio Ramos Best defend in the world 👏🏽
— Achraf Hakimi (@AchrafHakimi) November 11, 2022
