"Just like I once made the decision to bring him into the national team, he'll understand if I have to make the opposite decision." Luis de la Fuente said that about Dani Carvajal a few weeks ago. That opposite decision has now been made — officially.
The Spanish Football Federation submitted its 55-man preliminary World Cup list to FIFA on May 11, and neither Carvajal nor Álvaro Morata is on it. Spain's final 26-man squad will be drawn from that group, which means the door is closed. Both players are out.
Three of the four captains from Spain's Euro 2024 triumph — Morata, Carvajal, and Jesús Navas — will not be at the World Cup. That's a significant generational shift, even if it's been telegraphed for months.
Why neither player could make the case
Carvajal's situation is primarily physical. He missed 109 days of action this season across a muscle injury, a knee problem, and a fractured toe he's still recovering from. Even when available, he ranked 21st at Real Madrid in minutes played — 886 in total. That's not a starter's number, and it's not a profile that earns a World Cup spot, regardless of what you've done before.
Morata's case is different and, honestly, harder to watch. The move to Como under Cesc Fàbregas was supposed to be a reset — a chance to rediscover himself ahead of the biggest tournament of the four-year cycle. It didn't work. One goal in 28 matches this season. Spain's fourth all-time leading scorer, 37 goals in 87 caps, reduced to that kind of output at club level.
He was left out in October, November, and March. The writing was on the wall long before May 11.
Who carries Spain's armband now
Rodri, Unai Simón, and Ferran Torres are expected to form the new captaincy core. It's a younger, less decorated group in terms of leadership experience — which adds a layer of uncertainty to a Spain side that will still enter the tournament as one of the favourites on paper.
From Real Madrid, Dean Huijsen, Fran García, and Gonzalo García all made the 55-man list. Of those three, only Huijsen looks like a near-certain inclusion in the final 26.
Carvajal, for now, sits at 52 international appearances. Whether he adds to that total depends on what comes next — not just for him, but for a Spain team that just quietly closed a chapter it won't get back.
