DOHA, Qatar — There’s plenty of time left for Ansu Fati to explode with a barrage of goals, becoming either La Roja‘s or this tournament’s top scorer en route to helping Spain win the World Cup. Although, admittedly, it would help if Luis Enrique Martinez started to pick him. Prior to a Group E match against Japan that can propel Spain through as the winners or second-place team or send them home, Ansu has so far played precisely zero minutes.
If Spain’s youngest-ever scorer — and also the youngest to hit the net in the history of the Champions League — has been tuning into the fierce debate about Gareth Southgate cold-shouldering Phil Foden during England‘s first two matches, the 20-year-old Barcelona striker would be well within his rights to complain. “Hold on! What about ME?”
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As they demonstrated in their first two group matches, La Roja have just about everything. A clever, motivational, successful and daring coach. A keeper (Unai Simon) who makes big saves. Tall, commanding and technically gifted centre-backs (Aymeric Laporte, Rodri) and full-backs (Dani Carvajal, Jordi Alba, Cesar Azpilicueta) who’ve got umpteen Champions League medals between them as well as a flow of assists in their boots.
They have a midfield populated by a genius in Sergio Busquets and two stunning proteges who any club, and any national team, would immediately wrench away from Spain and Barcelona if Pedri and Gavi were available.
In attack there’s an array of players, Alvaro Morata, Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres — all of whom have scored — and Luis Enrique’s bench has provided, when called upon against Costa Rica and Germany, a flood of goals and assists. Nevertheless, it’s blindingly obvious that if, against the odds, they’re to win their second-ever World Cup, this squad need a hero to step forward. Someone who not only conjures up a fistful of goals but scores in the key moments when that winning mentality, that special something, is desperately called for.
Perhaps it’ll be Atletico’s Morata or Barcelona’s Torres who grasp history and wrestle it in Spain’s direction. Maybe it’ll be just a couple of long range net-busters from Rodri or set-play headers from Laporte. Maybe it’s the case that Spain will trip and fall on their faces, remembered for being promising but going unrewarded (again). The fact is that it should be this diminutive, gifted and deeply unfortunate, but innately goal-obsessed, 20-year-old who shakes off his two seasons of absolute purgatory and powers La Roja deep into this World Cup.
Ansu possesses several things that Luis Enrique keenly needs in order to sharpen Spain’s challenge. Firstly, the kid has superb pace — particularly over short and mid-distances. Quick mind, explosive sprints, good dribbling.
Secondly, he has that instinct for where to send the ball, the place that the keeper least wants to see it go, and when to catch the man between the sticks off balance. The weird thing is that he showed both of these startling talents in Spain’s final warmup match before the World Cup, a 3-1 win over Jordan — even scoring a good opening goal — but hasn’t featured since.
