Former Spain captain Alvaro Morata has reportedly been omitted from Luis de la Fuente’s extended 55-player World Cup squad.
Morata, 33, was the skipper as Spain won the European Championship in 2024, only missing the final against England through an injury he had picked up after the semi-final victory against France.
But two years on, Morata, who is on loan at Serie A side Como 1907 from AC Milan, has seen his dreams of lifting the World Cup crushed as he has been excluded from the international set-up ahead of this summer’s tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
This is according to Spanish media outlet Diario AS, who also report that Morata’s former vice-captain, and Real Madrid star Dani Carvajal, will also miss out on a place on the plane to North America.
On Monday, De la Fuente, who aims to repeat Vicente del Bosque’s feat of winning both the Euros and a World Cup back-to-back, submitted a list of 55 players to FIFA to form its preliminary squad for the tournament.
Neither Morata, Carvajal, nor fellow former vice-captain Jesus Navas made the list, which will be cut down to 26 players ahead of the summer.
Alvaro Morata has been omitted from Spain’s provisional 55-man World Cup squad
Former vice-captain Dani Carvajal has also failed to make the cut ahead of the tournament in North America
None of the trio have featured for the national team since September, with Morata only managing 17 minutes off the bench against Turkey during this season’s first international break.
The former Chelsea and Los Blancos star has struggled this campaign, failing to score a single Serie A goal for Cesc Fabregas’ Como side, who have enjoyed a successful season, qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club’s history.
His only goal from his 28 appearances for the club came in the Italian Cup, and despite his experience at the international level, his poor form in front of goal seemingly damaged his chances of making the World Cup.
Carvajal’s absence is likely due to another injury-plagued season. The veteran full-back has been struggling with a fractured toe, and De la Fuente recently stated that the Madrid man ‘needs time to show’ his fitness levels before he made a decision on selection.
But it seems like the defender hasn’t managed to recover in time, having missed the 2-0 El Clásico defeat at the weekend.
Spain’s opponents in the Euro 2024, England, have also named their provisional squad ahead of the World Cup, with Thomas Tuchel allowed to submit a list of between 35 and 55 players to FIFA.
But the decisions that Tuchel has made remain a mystery, with his full 26-man World Cup squad set to be named on Friday, May 22.
