Luis de la Fuente already made his mind up for Spain’s FIFA World Cup opener against Cape Verde on Monday, June 15, and it is not good news for Joan Garcia. Despite Garcia’s rapid rise, Unai Simón is set to start in goal. The Athletic Club goalkeeper maintains the role he held in the last UEFA Euro and World Cup, but he will have very little room for error.
Some sections of the press are even saying that the decision to call up the FC Barcelona keeper might backfire on De la Fuente. And not because Garcia isn’t good enough to play for La Roja, no – the opposite. El Nacional reports that the manager could regret bringing Garcia to the tournament, simply because the kid is too good to sit quietly on the bench. Simón has been De la Fuente’s guy, but any slip-up will instantly ignite a fierce debate.
Moving to Barça has boosted Garcia’s profile, and fans are eager to see his quick reflexes and comfort playing out from the back for the European champions. After getting his first international start against Iraq, Garcia sat out the recent 3-1 win over Peru, where Simón started the first half before giving way to David Raya.
Following that friendly, De la Fuente made it clear that his choice was settled well in advance.
“Any of them deserves this recognition. It is not a gift, it’s the opportunity to demonstrate their class internationally. Today I thought it was fair to also give David the option, but I am clear on who the starting goalkeeper will be at the beginning of the World Cup, if there are no setbacks,” De la Fuente stated.
Purely on recent form, both Raya and Garcia have arguments to be ahead of Simón. Simón had a quieter season at San Mamés, where his team conceded 58 goals in La Liga. De la Fuente is betting on tournament experience anyway. After all, it was Simón who started and won the Euro 2024 final.