Limited Spanish presence in World Cup team of the tournament | OneFootball

Spain won the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, yet only three Spaniards feature in the public’s team of the tournament.

According to Superdeporte, the federation released voting percentages after a contentious public poll to select the XI. Cucurella, Pedro Porro and Rodri are the Spanish picks.

Even so, centre-backs Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte were not even listed as options, despite Spain conceding only one goal in eight matches. Their pairing mixed the edge of the number 14 with the bravery and precision of the number 22, and the Catalan was named the tournament’s best young player.

Vozinha topped the goalkeeper vote with 39.6% of ballots. Cucurella and Pedro Porro share the back line with Lisandro Martínez and Upamecano, both beaten by Spain in their last two World Cup matches.

In midfield, Rodri polled 15.34% and also claimed the Golden Ball after standout displays for Manchester City. He is joined by Michael Olise and Jude Bellingham. Olise finished as the tournament’s top assist provider, raising his value and drawing interest from major European clubs, while his possible team-mate at Real Madrid, Bellingham, contributed seven goals and one assist.

Up front, the XI features the tournament’s leading scorers. Leo Messi finished on eight and Mbappé on 10 after a duel for the Golden Boot, which the Frenchman won to move top of the competition’s all-time charts with 22 goals. Haaland’s seven took Norway to a historic quarter-final.

Source: Superdeporte