Even with Real on the upswing, Spain is ‘barcelonized’ for the World Cup

In the last four seasons, Real Madrid won four international titles, including two Champions League and one World Cup. But the one who currently dominates the Spain national team is Barcelona.

Even in a period when it has lost its strength internationally, without winning any trophies since the 2015 Uefa Super Cup, the Catalan team has more players in the pre-list of coach Luis Henrique – former coach of the club – for the World Cup in Qatar. than the arch-rival.

The coach is in his second stint in charge of the national team. The first turned out to be brief. He took over in July 2018, but had to step down in June 2019 due to personal issues. Two months later, his daughter died of a bone tumor at the age of nine.

In November of the same year, the Spanish Federation announced his return to the post and the dismissal of Robert Moreno. At the time, the entity said that the commander’s return was already arranged as long as he wanted.

Luis Henrique arrived at the national team shortly after his work in front of Barça. He managed the Catalan team from May 2014 until the end of the 2016/17 season.

During his time in Catalonia, he won nine titles, including the 2014/15 Champions League and the 2015 Club World Cup.

But he was already an idol of the club before that. As a player, he wore the colors blue and garnet for eight years, from 1996 to 2004, accumulating six trophies.

His arrival at Barcelona was a source of controversy in Spain, as he signed with the Catalans after, according to him, failing to reach an agreement to renew his contract with Real Madrid.

“They wanted to renew it, but we didn’t reach an agreement. So, I took the path that I decided”, he told in an interview with the YouTube channel Colgados del Aro.

The former midfielder defended the Madrid team from 1991 to 1996 and won three titles. When he chose to leave the club and transfer to the rival, he caused revolt in the white crowd.

The fans’ scolding got even bigger in the 1997/98 season after a goal celebration at the former club. On the occasion, he stretched out his Barcelona shirt and showed it to the madridistas. “When you score a goal, you have to celebrate,” he played down at the time.

Episodes like this reinforced the association of Luis Henrique’s image with the Catalan team, which makes him much more criticized by the press and fans in Madrid than by those in Catalonia.

It doesn’t help that his World Cup squad has just two Real Madrid players, Carvajal and Asensio, against eight from Barcelona: Eric Garcia, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Gavi, Pedri, Ansu Fati. , Marcos Alonso and Ferran Torres

The names were revealed by the Madrid-based newspaper Marca, which emphasized precisely what it called “the dominance of Barcelona’s players”.

In 2010, when Spain won its only world title in South Africa, there was more balance in the squad then led by Vicente del Bosque. There were five players from Real Madrid (Casillas, Raúl Albiol, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos and Álvaro Arbeloa) and eight from Barcelona (Piqué, Puyol, Iniesta, David Villa, Víctor Valdés, Busquets, Pedro and Mata).

The current composition of the squads of the two clubs perhaps helps to explain the difference that is seen in the squad of the selection. 43% of the Spanish players make up the Catalan squad (13 out of a total of 30). There are 29% of the names of the country in the Madrid formation (7 out of 24).

In the team of Italian Carlo Ancelotti, only two Spaniards, Nacho and Carbajal, often appear among the holders. The great exponents are foreigners, such as the Frenchman Benzema, recently elected best in the world, the Croatian Modric, the Uruguayan Valverde, and the Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.

In Catalonia, Spaniards Busquets, Pedri, Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto and Gavi have more space in the team, which also has international stars, such as Frenchman Dembélé, Polish Robert Lewandowski and Brazilian Raphinha.

On the pitch, the Real Madrid mix has been more successful. In addition to recent titles, the team has already secured in advance its qualification to the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Barcelona have not found their way since the departure of Argentine Lionel Messi in August 2021, and suffered an early exit from Europe’s premier club tournament, falling into the group stage for the second consecutive season.

The pressure on Barcelona’s players due to the bad form is a cause for concern for the fans of the Spanish national team and makes the team an unknown for the World Cup.