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Spain name Olympics squad featuring six players already at Euro 2020

By Jamie Spencer

Pedri & Dani Olmo are in Spain's Olympic squad despite already playing at Euro 2020
Pedri & Dani Olmo are in Spain's Olympic squad despite already playing at Euro 2020 / Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
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Spain have named a 22-player squad for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo featuring six names that are already in action for La Roja at Euro 2020.

Should a Spain side that has scored five goals in consecutive games reach the final of Euro 2020 on 11 July, then Pedri, Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal, Unai Simon, Pau Torres and Eric Garcia will have to immediately leap from one squad to the next as the Olympics begin only 11 days later.

Even if they are eliminated from Euro 2020 sooner than the final, the players who have been called up for both squads will still have precious little rest between tournaments.

Olympic squads are capped at 18 players plus four reserve players. The reserve players still travel and train with the rest of the squad and can be called into the main group as a permanent replacement for injury or illness at any point during the tournament.

Pau Torres
Pau Torres is also going to the Olympics in Japan / Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

However, Spain are yet to confirm which 18 players are in the main squad and which four will be on the reserve list. They have named four goalkeepers, meaning that two of them will be on the reserve list long with only two other outfield players.

Men’s football at the Olympics is an Under-23 age-restricted tournament with the exception of three designated over-age players. For those roles, Spain have chosen Real Madrid pair Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos, as well as Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino.

Even though the age restriction is still in place, this year’s Games are slightly different as the age cut-off point that was originally set for 2020 has been left in place despite the Olympics being postponed a year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Any player born on or since 1 January 1997, such as 24-year-old Carlos Soler or the aforementioned Oyarzabal, also 24, is still eligible without being considered ‘over-age’.

Marco Asensio
Marco Asensio is one of Spain's over-age players / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

22-player Spain squad for 2020 Olympic Games:

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Alvaro Fernandez (Huesca), Alejandro Dominguez (Las Palmas), Jon Moncayola (Osasuna),

Defenders: Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Oscar Mingueza (Barcelona), Oscar Gil (Espanyol), Juan Miranda (Real Betis), Marc Cucurella (Getafe), Jesus Vallejo (Granada), Pau Torres (Villarreal)

Midfielders: Pedri (Barcelona), Dani Ceballos* (Real Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Mikel Merino* (Real Sociedad), Carlos Soler (Valencia)

Forwards: Javi Puado (Espanyol), Marco Asensio* (Real Madrid), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Bryan Gil (Sevilla)

*denotes designated ‘over-age’ player

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