Pau Cubarsi has been trimmed from Spain’s Euro 2024 squad (Image: Getty)
Spain have surprisingly dropped Barcelona wonderkid Pau Cubarsi from their Euro 2024 squad. The defender was one of three stars trimmed from Luis de la Fuente’s provisional 29-man quota on Friday.
Cubarsi enjoyed a sensational breakthrough season at Barca, aged just 17. He made his Spain debut against Colombia in March and seemed set to head to Germany as part of the squad for the Euros.
However, De La Fuente has boldly decided to cut the ball-playing defender from his provisional squad. Spain have announced their 26-man team to travel to Germany next week for this summer’s tournament.
Girona’s Aleix Garcia and Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente have also missed out on a place in the final squad.
A message to the three players posted on Spain’s X account read: “Thank you for your work and commitment to the team from the first to the last minute of this concentration.
“You are also part of this path towards the fourth Euro Cup. We will win for you, comrades!!”
Cubarsi played in each of Barca’s final 19 La Liga matches after making his senior debut in mid-January, starting all but one. A graduate of the club’s esteemed La Masia academy, he also started both legs of Barca’s Champions League quarter-final defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
His performance against Kylian Mbappe drew huge praise and capped a remarkable few months. Just weeks earlier, he made his senior debut for Spain and played in March’s fixtures against Colombia and Brazil.
Cubarsi played 45 minutes in Spain’s 5-0 victory over Andorra last week and grabbed an assist. However, that was not enough to seal his place in the final 26-man squad.
Pau Cubarsi had been integrated into Spain’s senior squad before his surprise omission (Image: Getty)
A notable surprise inclusion in the team is former Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez. Now 30, Perez scored 11 goals for Real Betis this season and made his international debut in the thrashing of Andorra, providing a goal and an assist.
Spain granted extended leave to Real Madrid trio Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez and Joselu following their Champions League triumph over Borussia Dortmund last weekend. Carvajal scored in the 2-0 win, while former Stoke and Newcastle forward Joselu struck a brace in the semi-final victory over Bayern Munich.
Among Spain’s Premier League contingent are Arsenal’s David Raya, Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella and Manchester City’s Rodri.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1908600/Spain-Barcelona-wonderkid-Euro-2024-squad