Fati in but Thiago and De Gea left out of Spain World Cup squad

La Roja have gone with youth for this year's tournament. 

Spain's coach Luis Enrique gestures during a press conference for the unveiling of the official list of Spain's players for the football 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the Las Rozas football sports city near Madrid, on November 11, 2022. (Photo by Pierre-Philippe Marcou / AFP) (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images)

Spain included Barcelona’s Ansu Fati but left out the Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcântara and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea from their World Cup squad.

Fati, 20, made his international debut in 2020 at 17 and in his second game became the youngest player to score for Spain. But the forward is fighting back from four surgeries to repair an injury to his left knee, sustained in November 2020.

“I doubted until the last minute but I decided for him because his technical qualities are amazing and being here with us could work as a big motivation for him as he’s still working to get back to peak form,” Spain’s coach, Luis Enrique, said. He declined to comment on players who were left out, but the absence of De Gea, Thiago and Marcos Alonso points to his preference to go all-in with Spain’s new generation of talent.

De Gea has fallen out of favour with Luis Enrique, who said in March he “wanted to test other goalkeepers”, and Thiago saw his role diminish with the rise of the Barcelona teenagers Pedri and Gavi.

“Youth gives you freedom because you are not yet aware of the consequences,” Luis Enrique said. “Yet most of the youngsters that are with us are already in high-level teams. The bar that I’m setting is infinity.” The former Barcelona coach said he had never had any doubts about whether he was the best man for the job. 

“How can I doubt myself? I am the best coach on the face of the earth,” he said. “If I have to convince my players I have to be convinced myself … There is no better coach than me. I know it’s not true, but I believe it. Doubts? None!”