"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 those words about Dani Carvajal weeks ago, and now the opposite decision has been made official — Carvajal and Álvaro Morata are both absent from Spain's 55-man preliminary World Cup list submitted to FIFA on May 11.
Three of the four captains from Spain's Euro 2024-winning campaign won't be in North America this summer. Jesús Navas was already gone. Now Carvajal and Morata join him on the outside, leaving Rodri, Unai Simón, and Ferran Torres to carry the armband responsibilities.
Carvajal's injury record made the call almost inevitable
Carvajal has been out for 109 days this season across a muscle injury, a knee problem, and a fractured toe. Even when available, he ranked 21st at Real Madrid in minutes played with just 886 — a staggering drop for a man who was first-choice right back at both club and international level for the better part of a decade. He reportedly remains close to a return against Oviedo, but at 52 caps, that comeback will be happening without a World Cup on the horizon.
His Real Madrid teammates Dean Huijsen, Fran García, and Gonzalo García did make the preliminary list. Of the three, Huijsen is the only one with a realistic shot at the final 26.
Morata's Como move didn't deliver
Morata's situation is arguably more deflating. He joined Como to reignite his career under former Spain teammate Cesc Fàbregas, hoping a fresh environment would sharpen him ahead of the World Cup. Instead, he managed one goal in 28 matches this season. One.
For context: Morata is Spain's fourth all-time leading scorer with 37 goals in 87 appearances. The pedigree is real. The form simply wasn't there, and form is what earns a World Cup place, not reputation. Both players had already been dropped from the October, November, and March squads — the writing had been on the wall for months.
Spain's final 26-man roster will be chosen exclusively from that preliminary 55. For Morata and Carvajal, there is no longer a path in. The tournament starts without them.
