While Spain were dominating world football under Luis Aragones and his successor Vicente del Bosque, the next wave of talent was already being nurtured. When La Rojita won the 2013 European Under-21 Championship in Israel under Julen Lopetegui, they showcased their next generation of talent by successfully defending the title they had won previously in 2011.
With a squad of players capable of forcing their way to the top sooner rather than later, Lopetegui’s successor Albert Celades will be looking to emulate the achievement of Aragones and Del Bosque by securing another treble in next year’s finals in the Czech Republic.
Now that the reign of La Roja has come to an end, heralding an evolutionary changing of the guard, the motivation for Celades’ young side is clear. Players such as Isco, Koke and Alberto Moreno, who are on the fringes of La Roja, are making the transition to the senior side, creating space for the new wave to come in behind them.
One player whose early season form has seen him take the fast-track through the international ranks is Barcelona striker Munir El Haddadi. At just 19, he was a revelation in the opening game of the season, scoring twice as the Catalans overcame Elche 3-0 at Camp Nou.
Called up for the first time for Celades’ Under-21 team to face Hungary and Austria last week, Munir featured in the 1-0 win in Hungary but, following an injury to Diego Costa, was swiftly summoned by Del Bosque to join La Roja in Valencia for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Macedonia. Munir duly made his full debut as a second-half substitute in Spain’s 5-1 win.
One player whose international progress has been less spectacular is Athletic Bilbao winger Iker Muniain. Still only 21, the Basque has been touted as Spain’s next young star for some time now, having first played for the Under-21s as an 18-year-old against Denmark in 2011. Muniain, who captained the side – and missed a penalty – in Hungary and was on the bench against Austria, has 29 Under-21 caps and a good season for his club could see him make the breakthrough at last.
Elsewhere, midfielders Ruben Pardo of Real Sociedad, Malaga’s Sergi Darder and Barcelona’s Denis Suarez, currently on loan at Sevilla, all made an impact over the two games last week but perhaps the two standout performances came from Barcelona striker Gerard Deulofeu, also a loanee at Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid playmaker Saul Niguez.
Deulofeu, who is 20, impressed against Hungary as did 19-year-old Niguez, who has played at every level for Spain from Under-16 to Under-21. The Atletico man created a number of chances and was on target with La Rojita’s winner against the Hungarians. Neither featured against Austria in Puertollano, where Getafe’s Pablo Sarabia netted for Celades’ men to see them safely into the play-offs, despite the Austrians’ injury-time equaliser spoiling their 100 per cent record in qualifying.
