Spain’s no.9 conundrum: Where will the goals come from?
La Roja may be lacking a world-class natural striker, but they possess enough attacking quality throughout the squad to source goals from a wide range of players
Spain are set to kick off their World Cup on Monday against Cape Verde with both starting wingers, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, expected to start on the bench as they continue to build up their fitness after recovering from recent injuries.
A closer look at Luis de la Fuente’s 26-man squad may raise some eyebrows, as Celta Vigo forward Borja Iglesias is the only natural no.9 featuring in the squad.
The rest of their attacking options consist of first-choice forward Mikel Oyarzabal and Barcelona star Ferran Torres, who could fill in as a false ‘9’, as well as wingers Yeremy Pino and Víctor Muñoz.
In fact, the Spanish national team haven’t boasted a high-calibre natural striker since the era of David Villa and Fernando Torres, when they dominated international football by winning a World Cup title and two European Championships in a space of four years.
Names such as Alvaro Morata, Diego Costa, Gerard Moreno and Joselu have all had periods as the first-choice striker, but none have consistently reached the level of the world’s very best forwards.
But is that really an issue for the reigning European champions?
Spain’s goals come from everywhere
Rather than relying on one player to unlock opposition defences, De la Fuente’s side spread the burden across the team.
Dani Olmo is arguably the best example, as the attacking midfielder has developed a remarkable knack for arriving late in the penalty area and finding space between defenders.
The same applies to Mikel Merino. Whether for club or country, Merino regularly contributes goals through intelligent runs into the box and his aerial ability from set pieces.
In fact, Olmo scored a team-high three goals in the 2024 Euros, with central midfielder Fabián Ruiz bagging two for La Roja. As for Merino, the Arsenal midfielder, who was utilised as a false ‘9’ on a few occasions by Mikel Arteta last season, was Spain’s top scorer during the World Cup qualifiers – along with Oyarzabal – with six goals each.
The latter netted the winner in the Euro 2024 final against England, with Nico opening the scoring just after the break to defeat England 2-1.
Meanwhile, Spain happen to possess perhaps the most dangerous young attacker in world football in Yamal.
The Barcelona winger can create goals from nothing, dribbling past defenders, drawing multiple opponents towards him and constantly producing chances for teammates.
His presence means Spain do not necessarily need a traditional No. 9 scoring consistently because so many opportunities are generated elsewhere.
Against deep defensive blocks, there will be moments when Spain lack the penalty-box presence provided by a prime Villa or Torres. There is no obvious striker capable of bullying centre-backs or producing goals entirely on his own.
But the evidence of recent years suggests Spain’s system compensates for that deficiency, as they create chances through midfield runners, score from wide areas, dominate possession and have players such as Yamal who can unlock any defence.
With Spain poised to go deep into the World Cup, it remains to be seen which players will step up on the scoring end to provide the firepower that the team needs to go all the way.
