As the 2026 World Cup peaks around the corner, already the presence of the tournament is making itself felt. Every injury causes concern among fans and national team managers, and each player is making their case to their coaches that they should be in the starting XI.
That much was made evident by the recent injury to Lamine Yamal, which caused panic among Spanish media, but he is expected to be fit to play. He is set to be one of the sides’ leaders in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Those familiar with non gamstop sports betting will be aware that Spain are one of the favourites to win the tournament,
One of the major debates over the past year has been over the goalkeeping position. Unai Simon has been the de facto starter under both Luis Enrique and Luis de la Fuente over the past few years, and came up with a number of brilliant saves during Euro 2024. So far de la Fuente has shown no sign of dropping the Athletic Club number one. There is no doubt that he has had some surprising errors in his game this season though, during a difficult season at San Mames.
At the same time, there has been the rise of Joan Garcia. The best goalkeeper in La Liga last season, he earned a move to Barcelona for €25m last summer, and has made a major difference. Garcia has an expected goals prevented statistic in excess of 10 this season. De la Fuente surprised by inluding him in his last Spain squad before the World Cup, calling up four goalkeepers.
The other pair are Arsenal’s David Raya and Real Sociedad’s Alex Remiro. They have been the long-term number two and number three, and de la Fuente has spoken highly of Remiro’s character, but he seems destined for the number three spot if he does make the plane. Raya, who some would argue is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, does have his own case to be the starter.
De la Fuente’s loyalty over the past two years would appear to make it unlikely that Simon will be dropped, but Raya and Garcia will certainly be able to argue that on club merit, they deserve the spot in goal. The risk of upsetting one of the fixtures at the back for Spain may be too great, particularly when Simon is a leader in the dressing room too.
