Regardless of whatever Luis Enrique was trying to achieve on Monday, he certainly managed to cause a few eyebrows to raise with his latest Spain announcement.
Now, whilst he is a former FC Barcelona manager and player is perhaps just a pure coincidence, the former Real Madrid player has decided to leave out individuals from Los Blancos when selecting his Spain squad for the upcoming UEFA 2020 European Championships this summer. Indeed, those using casinos would have found it incredibly surprising.
Admittedly, Real Madrid have had a disappointing season this campaign by their own high standards, despite finishing as runners-up in La Liga behind city-rivals Atletico Madrid and being knocked out in the UEFA Champions League in the semi-finals rather convincingly by Chelsea.
However, the fact that not one single player eligible for Spain did not even receive a call-up ahead of the upcoming European Championships also perhaps shows how poorly the team performed throughout the season.
Sergio Ramos is perhaps the biggest omission from the side, as the national captain was also excluded from Enrique’s squad, although that is down to the fact that he is still carrying an injury and has not been able to rediscover his form since returning, either. At 35-years-old, though, it may have been the last opportunity that Ramos had to represent his country in that particular tournament.
Marco Asensio and Nacho have both been omitted, as well, whilst Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez have been ruled out from competing because of injuries.
Enrique, though, still has an abundance of talent available to him as La Rioja will have to go up against Sweden, Poland and Slovakia in their group matches as they look to win the title for the first time since their Euro 2012 triumph. Those who receive a casino welcome bonus will likely be confident that they can use it on Spain doing well in their group.
Aymeric Laporte has been included after he decided to switch allegiances from France to Spain, whilst Sergio Busquets will be tasked with trying to lead the side on the pitch as the nation’s captain for the upcoming tournament.
This is the squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David de Gea and Robert Sanchez
Defenders: Jose Gaya, Jordi Alba, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Eric Garcia, Diego Llorente, Cesar Azpilicueta
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Rodri, Pedri, Thiago Alcantara, Koke, Fabian Ruiz, Marcos Llorente
Attackers: Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal, Alvaro Morata, Gerard Moreno, Ferran Torres, Adama Traore, Pablo Sarabia.
