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3 months ago
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Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has revealed his final 26-man squad for Euro 2024.
De la Fuente had initially announced a provisional 29-player squad for this summer's tournament but on Friday, it was announced that three players had been cut.
It comes as each team is allowed under UEFA rules to bring a maximum of 26 players to the tournament and a minimum of 23.
Spain have been preparing for the tournament over the past week at the Ciudad del Futbol, with several stars who featured in Real Madrid's Champions League final last weekend joining up with the rest of the squad in midweek.
Spain will hope to claim their fourth European Championship title in Germany this summer, but they will be without three stars ahead of the tournament.
Spain have named their final 26-man squad to play at this summer's European Championship
Luis de La Fuente (third-left) has had some hard decisions to make ahead of the tournament
Perhaps the most notable omission is Barcelona centre-back Pau Cubarsi, who alongside Aleix Garcia and Marcos Llorente, has not been selected as part of De la Fuente's final squad for Euro 2024.
The official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Spanish national side wrote to thank the three players for their commitment after the trio were cut.
'Thank you for your work and commitment to the team from the first to the last minute of this concentration,' the post read.
'You are also part of this path towards the fourth Euro Cup. We will win for you, comrades!!
It comes after former Newcastle and Leicester star Ayoze Perez, 30, was included in the squad and earned his first senior cap for Spain during their 5-0 win against Andorra on Wednesday night.
Perez has scored 11 goals in 38 matches for Real Betis, earning himself a spot in De la Fuente's side following a bright season.
Cubarsi, meanwhile, has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Barcelona and has been making headlines having nailed down a spot in Xavi's defence at the mere age of 17.
After struggling to secure regular game time at the beginning of the season, the centre back would go on to make 18 starts in LaLiga and also start in Barca's Champions League quarter-final matches against Paris Saint-Germain.
He also has three caps for his country's senior side, with De la Fuente handing him his debut in March during a 1-0 defeat by Colombia. The game saw him become the youngest defender to play for his country's international side. There is a chance Cubarsi could feature for Spain at the 2024 Olympics.
Spain's national side issued a post on X thanking each of the players for their commitment
Pau Cubarsi (pictured) has established himself as a starting defender for Barcelona at the age of 17
Atletico Madrid star Marcos Llorente (pictured) was selected to play for Spain at the 2022 World Cup, but has not been included to play at this summer's tournament
Aleix Garcia (pictured) has been integral to Girona's success this season, helping them gain a berth in the Champions League
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Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal) and Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad).
Defenders: Jesús Navas (Sevilla), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernández, Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr) and Daniel Vivian (Athletic Club).
Midfielders: Rodri Hernández (Manchester City), Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Fabián Ruiz (PSG), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Pedri and Fermín López (FC Barcelona).
Forwards: Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres (FC Barcelona), Álvaro Morata (Atlético de Madrid), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Joselu (Real Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), and Ayoze Pérez (Betis).
Atletico Madrid's Llorente has also been cut from the final 26 players. The midfielder has 19 caps for his national side and notably featured at the 2022 World Cup and the 2020 European Championship.
Garcia has been an integral part of Girona's success in LaLiga, helping the Spanish side secure a berth in the Champions League next season having surpassed Atletico Madrid to finish third in the league.
It seems several clubs around the Premier League have been impressed with his performances this season, with The Guardian writing that West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen could be interested are interested in signing him this summer.
Spain begin their 2024 European Championship against Croatia on June 15 in Berlin. They will then face off against Italy on June 20 and Albania on June 24.
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