Düsseldorf (Germany).- There are footballers who land on their feet in the National Team and enter by eye at the first opportunity (Lamine, among them). Others are always haunted by doubt, no matter what they do (Morata case). And some more who are halfway, as if they were obliged to score or assist in every game if they didn’t want the staff to suddenly start questioning them and asking themselves “what’s this guy doing here?” Although it may seem incredible seeing his performance in red, Mikel Oyarzabal (Eibar, 28 years old) belongs to this group under continuous review.
The fact that the Real Sociedad striker can play in all positions in the attacking front, but curiously does not finish specializing in any of them, makes him appear in the team every day in a different place as a real suspect. In no demarcation is he the indisputable. And that could confuse more than one. This Monday, it is not known if he will play close to a wing, as he did in the first days of De la Fuente in the Absoluta, if he will play more focused where the coach has now converted him, or even if he can play as a false nine like He likes it so much because of his ability to score goals.
In the 2019 U21 European Championship, De la Fuente changed his role completely. And it seems like forever. He forgot his love for the captain txuri urdin He started from the extreme (like Gerard Moreno does) to put him further inside until he became a false nine. Today, bands are for overflow. And he, grateful, responded to him in the five games in which he started and exploded to the point of being the most important player on that unforgettable and champion team. The same one who, to a large extent, has had his continuity in the first team: He appeared between the lines, arrived at the area, assisted (a pass in the final against Germany), finished twice as many as he usually did (two goals) and, ultimately, was decisive in the strategy of corners, fouls and, above all, penalties with that style of his that he later patented.
Already in the first team, De la Fuente realized in Scotland, with a tough 2-0 defeat in 2023 in the qualifying phase for the Euro Cup, that Oyarzabal had to play inside. That night, close to the sideline, the player and the coach were beaten, like the rest of the team, for the poor performance that put some in the wrong. That day, only three after knocking down Norway and due to massive rotations, they played Kepa; Porro, David García, Íñigo Martínez, Gayà; Rodri, Ceballos, Merino; Yeremy, Joselu and Oyarzabal. That setback condemned several players and, above all, served to give the model a twist.
From suspicion to bracelet
The person who has never doubted Oyarzabal’s worth and has catapulted him to what he is today is Luis de la Fuente. In the U-21 he already made the attack revolve around him. He is in love with his intelligence. And even in the Games he gave him stripes to be Oyarzabal and ten others, with weight in the locker room and captain’s hierarchy. His teammates at Real, Zubimendi and Merino, confirmed that what Donosti thinks of him was already spreading throughout Spain. Something that Remiro and Le Normand were later able to ratify when they joined the cause.
The coach has always perceived Mikel as one of his own and considers that including him in a National Team is essential for everything he contributes on the field and off it. His attitude, according to several colleagues, is exemplary. Not a bad face. Not a single gesture. And when he comes off the bench he always adds. Perhaps that is one of his great virtues: hunger. In fact, the staff considers that they perform best when they come out fresh and the opponent is tired. There is no one who attacks spaces with better game vision. Their data, once again, speak for themselves. Oyarzabal has scored 14 goals this season and has provided three assists. And there is also his hat-trick against Andorra in one of the two friendlies prior to this Eurocup.
De la Fuente did not hesitate to wait for him when he was injured (torn cruciate ligament). She called him very frequently to encourage him and let him know that she would still count on him when he returned. And as soon as he replaced Luis Enrique in January 2023, he pulled out a great detail. In a team where seniority is key when it comes to picking up the armband and choosing the number, the man from La Rioja agreed and allowed Morata, Rodrigo, Carvajal and Olmo to be the leaders of the locker room, but he informed everyone that he would name a fifth leader by hand. . And that position went to Oyarzabal. It wouldn’t be strange to see him throughout the game against Albania with the ribbon on his arm. It would be the best answer for those who still wonder “what is this guy doing here?”
