Ever since Spain’s disastrous World Cup, it has been obvious that manager Vicente Del Bosque had no choice but to rejuvenate his squad with a burst of youthful enthusiasm.
With Xavi, Xabi Alonso and David Villa all retiring from international duty, the introduction yesterday – in his first squad since Brazil 2014 – of flesh blood in the form of Ander Iturraspe, Kiko Casilla and Paco Alcacer is both welcome and necessary.
However, in his rush to fill the squad with young talent, Del Bosque has neglected to reward the one man who deserves a call-up more than anyone else in Spanish football: Gabi.
The Atletico Madrid captain was an inspirational presence throughout their astonishing 2013/14 campaign, which ended with an against-all-odds La Liga title and a place in the Champions League final.
Furthermore, Gabi is exactly the kind of player that Del Bosque’s team is crying out for: a committed, hard-working, tough tackling and mobile central midfielder with a good range of passing and outstanding leadership skills.
Del Bosque is clearly not blind to Atletico’s achievements, having retained right-back Juanfran and midfielder Koke as well as giving a maiden call-up to versatile midfielder/forward Raul Garcia.
Gabi, however, is a stunning omission, perhaps betraying an unconscious belittling of Atleti’s status. If that sounds harsh, try to imagine Barcelona or Real Madrid’s captain being left out of the Spain squad three months after winning La Liga and reaching the Champions League final.
With those two clubs, that is an impossible scenario; with Atletico, it’s somehow accepted as par for the course.
The only possible explanation for Gabi’s absence is his age – he will be nearly 33 when the 2016 European Championships start, and that is of course Del Bosque’s chief focus. However, unlike many players of his age, Gabi has not been subjected to a relentless diet of twice-weekly Champions League/domestic league football for the majority of his career.
Due to his relatively late blossoming, he has played a career total of 395 competitive games – more than 100 fewer, for example, than 27-year-old Lionel Messi.
Gabi has suffered fewer physical demands and is therefore fresher than most players in their early 30s, and can easily be expected to still be operating at the top of his game a couple of years from now.
With Xavi and Xabi leaving the international scene, there is a huge gap in Spain’s midfield. Gabi should be the man to fill it.