Spain makes history with zero Real Madrid players at World Cup

Dubai: For the first time in history, no Real Madrid players have been named in the Spanish World Cup squad stunning football fans ahead of this summer’s tournament.

Luis de la Fuente announced his final team on Monday, with the absence of any Madrid star the biggest talking point in his selection.

This is the first time in history that Spain will travel to the World Cup without any Real Madrid players in the squad. In contrast, eight members of Barcelona’s title-winning team have been selected, along with three players from Atlético Madrid.

The most striking omissions from the Real Madrid squad are defenders Dani Carvajal and Dean Huijsen, both of whom were widely tipped to make the final selection.

Carvajal, who featured in his last game for Real Madrid on Saturday, missed the March international call-ups, although De la Fuente had recently suggested encouragement for the veteran right-back, even referring to him as “our captain.”

Huijsen’s exclusion, meanwhile, raised more surprise, given that he has already earned seven caps for Spain under De la Fuente over the past two years.

As expected, there was also no inclusion for Madrid-based fringe contenders such as Álvaro Carreras, Raúl Asencio, Fran García, Dani Ceballos, or Gonzalo García. However, the latter is set to train with the squad before they depart for America.

The exclusion of Real Madrid players adds to a disappointing end to the season for the club, which finished without silverware and was also surrounded by significant off-field turmoil.

The squad selection ultimately reflects a difficult season for Real Madrid. An injury-disrupted campaign meant Carvajal was unable to secure the farewell many expected, while De la Fuente preferred the match fitness of Marcos Llorente and Pedro Porro over the 34-year-old right-back.

At centre-back, Huijsen’s inconsistent debut season at Madrid saw him drop behind Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Eric García, and Pau Cubarsí in the defensive hierarchy.

By contrast, Spain’s 2010 World Cup winning team had five Real Madrid representatives, while the Euros-winning class of 2024 had three.