One of the few identified weaknesses in the Spanish national team is no longer a weakness. In Mikel Oyarzabal, the Seleccion has a world-class center forward – although he is not actually one.
While the German fans were enchanted by Florian Wirtz during the DFB team’s 4:3 win in Switzerland, Mikel Oyarzabal enchanted the Spanish supporters in faraway Villarreal. In the 16th minute, the Spaniard scored with a powerful left-footed shot from twelve meters to give his side the lead against Serbia, but his second goal was even more beautiful. In the 43rd minute, Oyarzabal fired the ball into the corner from 18 meters almost from a standing start. Two cream goals that no longer surprise anyone in the Seleccion.
The striker, who has played for Real Sociedad since his youth and has never left the team from the Basque country, has an impressive international record. In the last nine Seleccion games in which he has started, Oyarzabal has scored 16 times (ten goals, six assists). Since 2025, he has scored eleven goals and contributed six assists in eleven games, topped only by Norway’s Erling Haaland with 19 points in the national team. With his 24 goals in 52 international appearances, Oyarzabal is ninth in the Spanish all-time list, two goals behind Emilio Butragueno.
From playmaker to striker
Oyarzabal is not a trained striker, but actually a winger or one for the ten position. But Oyarzabal is versatile, which his national team coach also appreciates. “I’ve known him since 2015, when he was still playing as a playmaker. He simply does everything right,” said Luis de la Fuente after the 3-0 win against Serbia. Spain’s selection coach believes that he and Oyarzabal could one day be colleagues. “He could be a great coach, the way he understands soccer. He belongs to the world class.”
The scorer of the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final against England (2:1) has nipped the debate about Spain’s lack of a center forward in the bud. “If someone says we don’t have a killer …”, mocked de la Fuente after the game. “We can count ourselves lucky, and not just with Mikel.” Oyarzabal is also scoring a number of important goals, including in the Nations League. “When the spotlight is on him, he’s there. And as the national team heads towards the World Cup, his name is being mentioned louder and louder as the one who should be the offensive reference from day one,” wrote Spanish Sport.
Oyarzabal, meanwhile, is only making very soft noises. “I’m happy to be here, to gain match practice and to be able to help the team. If it’s necessary, like today with goals – and if it’s necessary in other ways, then in other ways. I always try to keep the team’s well-being in mind,” said the player of the match, getting lost in the usual phrases. But who cares when everyone talks about him so often after Seleccion matches …