Spain national under-21 football team
Nickname(s) | La Rojita (The Little Red [One]) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Association | Royal Spanish Football Federation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coach | Luis de la Fuente | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most caps | Gerard Deulofeu (36) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top scorer | Gerard Deulofeu (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIFA code | ESP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First international | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yugoslavia 4–1 Spain (Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 9 October 1976) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biggest win | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spain 14–0 San Marino (El Ejido, Spain; 8 February 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Netherlands 5–0 Spain (Utrecht, Netherlands; 16 February 1983) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UEFA U-21 Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 13 (first in 1982) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best result | Winners (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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The Spain national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita (The Little Red [One]),[1] competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the Spanish under-21 team was formed. Spain has a fantastic record (competition winners four times and runners-up twice); having consecutively won the 2011 and 2013 Championships. Only Italy with five titles has won the competition more often than Spain.
Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, Spain's brief record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown, though in actuality, Spain played only three competitive U-23 matches. The first was in the "under-23 Challenge", which they lost, while the next two were in a two-team qualification "group" for the 1972 competition (facing the Soviet Union team, they lost 2–1 at home then drew 1–1 away and failed to qualify. Spain did not enter a team in the other two U-23 competitions, but have been ever present in under-21 competitions).
Spain's youth development programs has been challenging the South American dominance in the FIFA U-17 World Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In fact, 20 of the Spanish 23-man squad that won the Euro 2008 came through the ranks of the youth teams; most of them had won titles at the youth level as well.
Competitive record
UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record
Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Qualifying Stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
1980 | Qualifying Stage | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
1982 | Quarter-Finals | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 |
1984 | Runners-up | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 11 |
1986 | Champions | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 9 |
1988 | Quarter-Finals | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
1990 | Quarter-Finals | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
1992 | Qualifying Stage | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
1994 | Third Place | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 9 |
1996 | Runners-up | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 14 |
1998 | Champions | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 6 |
2000 | Third Place | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 7 |
2002 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 9 |
2004 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 5 |
2006 | Qualifying Stage | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 8 |
2007 | Qualification Playoffs | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
2009 | Group Stage | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 7 |
2011 | Champions | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 8 |
2013 | Champions | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 5 |
2015 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 8 |
2017 | Runners-up | 17 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 44 | 13 |
Total | 13/21 | 210 | 145 | 34 | 31 | 431 | 151 |
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- Gold background color indicates first-place finish. Silver background color indicates second-place finish. Bronze background color indicates third-place finish.
- Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Individual awards
In addition to team victories, Spanish players have won individual awards at UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Year | Golden Player | Golden Boot |
---|---|---|
1986 | Manolo Sanchís | |
1998 | Francesc Arnau | |
2011 | Juan Mata | Adrián |
2013 | Thiago | Álvaro Morata |
2017 | Dani Ceballos | Saúl |
Player records
Top appearances
Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Caps |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gerard Deulofeu | Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan | 2012–2017 | 36 |
2 | Iker Muniain | Athletic Bilbao | 2011–2014 | 31 |
3 | Santiago Denia | Albacete, Atlético Madrid | 1992–1996 | 27 |
David de Gea | Atlético Madrid, Manchester United | 2009–2013 | 27 | |
5 | Xavi | Barcelona | 1998–2001 | 25 |
Diego Capel | Sevilla | 2007–2011 | 25 | |
Saúl | Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano | 2013–2017 | 25 | |
8 | Dani Ceballos | Betis, Real Madrid | 2015– | 24 |
Óscar | Barcelona, Albacete | 1992–1996 | 24 | |
Javi Martínez | Athletic Bilbao | 2007–2011 | 24 | |
Jorge Meré | Sporting Gijón, FC Köln | 2015– | 24 | |
Óliver | Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Porto | 2013–2016 | 24 |
Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.
Top goalscorers
Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gerard Deulofeu | Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan | 2012–2017 | 17 |
2 | Rodrigo | Benfica | 2011–2013 | 15 |
3 | Isco | Málaga, Real Madrid | 2011–2014 | 14 |
4 | Álvaro Morata | Real Madrid, Juventus | 2013–2014 | 13 |
5 | Óscar | Barcelona, Albacete | 1992–1996 | 12 |
6 | Borja Mayoral | Real Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Levante | 2015– | 10 |
Munir | Barcelona | 2014–2016 | 10 | |
8 | Pablo Couñago | Celta, Recreativo, Ipswich Town | 1999–2001 | 9 |
Adrián | Deportivo, Alavés, Málaga, Atlético Madrid | 2007–2011 | 9 | |
Saúl | Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano | 2013–2017 | 9 |
Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.
- Caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2018
Recent results
Forthcoming fixtures
Date | Competition | Location | Opponent |
---|---|---|---|
16 October 2018 | 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification | Reykjavík, Iceland | Iceland |
2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Group phase
Template:2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 2
Players
Current squad
The following players were named in the squad for 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against Albania and Iceland, at 11 and 16 October 2018.[2]
All caps and goals as of 11 October 2018.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Unai Simón | 11 June 1997 | 6 | 0 | Athletic Bilbao |
13 | GK | Antonio Sivera | 11 August 1996 | 4 | 0 | Alavés |
GK | Dani Martín | 8 July 1998 | 0 | 0 | Sporting Gijón | |
2 | DF | Pol Lirola | 13 August 1997 | 2 | 0 | Sassuolo |
3 | DF | Aarón Martín | 22 April 1997 | 7 | 0 | Mainz |
4 | DF | Unai Núñez | 30 January 1997 | 8 | 0 | Athletic Bilbao |
5 | DF | Jorge Meré (Captain) | 17 April 1997 | 24 | 2 | 1. FC Köln |
12 | DF | Sergi Palencia | 23 March 1996 | 0 | 0 | Bordeaux |
14 | DF | Jesús Vallejo | 5 January 1997 | 15 | 0 | Real Madrid |
DF | Angeliño | 4 January 1997 | 0 | 0 | PSV Eindhoven | |
6 | MF | Igor Zubeldia | 30 March 1997 | 2 | 0 | Real Sociedad |
7 | MF | Carlos Soler | 2 January 1997 | 11 | 1 | Valencia |
8 | MF | Fabián Ruiz | 3 April 1996 | 7 | 2 | Napoli |
10 | MF | Pablo Fornals | 22 February 1996 | 9 | 0 | Villarreal |
11 | MF | Mikel Oyarzabal | 21 April 1997 | 15 | 4 | Real Sociedad |
15 | MF | Marc Roca | 26 November 1996 | 1 | 0 | Espanyol |
16 | MF | Dani Olmo | 7 May 1998 | 1 | 0 | Dinamo Zagreb |
17 | MF | Alfonso Pedraza | 8 April 1996 | 8 | 0 | Villarreal |
MF | Pape Cheikh Diop | 8 August 1997 | 1 | 0 | Lyon | |
9 | FW | Borja Mayoral | 5 April 1997 | 21 | 10 | Levante |
18 | FW | Rafa Mir | 18 June 1997 | 3 | 3 | Las Palmas |
Recent callups
The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Juan Soriano | 23 August 1997 | 1 | 0 | Sevilla | v. Northern Ireland, 11 September 2018 |
GK | Iván Villar | 9 July 1997 | 0 | 0 | Celta | v. Slovakia, 14 November 2017 |
DF | Francis Guerrero | 3 April 1996 | 1 | 0 | Betis | v. Northern Ireland, 11 September 2018 |
DF | Pablo Maffeo | 12 July 1997 | 5 | 0 | Stuttgart | v. Northern Ireland, 11 September 2018 |
DF | Junior Firpo | 22 August 1996 | 1 | 0 | Betis | v. Northern Ireland, 11 September 2018 |
DF | Toni Lato | 21 November 1997 | 4 | 0 | Valencia | v. Estonia, 27 March 2018 |
MF | Brais Méndez | 7 January 1997 | 2 | 0 | Celta | v. Northern Ireland, 11 September 2018 |
MF | Mikel Merino | 22 June 1996 | 13 | 3 | Real Sociedad | v. Northern Ireland, 11 September 2018 |
MF | Dani Ceballos | 7 August 1996 | 24 | 6 | Real Madrid | v. Estonia, 27 March 2018 |
MF | Adama Traoré | 25 January 1996 | 2 | 0 | Wolverhampton | v. Estonia, 27 March 2018 |
MF | Aleix García | 28 January 1997 | 1 | 0 | Girona | v. Estonia, 27 March 2018 |
MF | Rodri | 22 June 1996 | 6 | 1 | Atlético Madrid | v. Slovakia, 14 November 2017 |
FW | Jordi Mboula | 16 March 1999 | 0 | 0 | Monaco | v. Northern Ireland, 11 September 2018 |
FW | Iñigo Córdoba | 13 March 1997 | 2 | 1 | Athletic Bilbao | v. Estonia, 27 March 2018 |
FW | Carlos Fernández | 22 May 1996 | 1 | 0 | Sevilla | v. Estonia, 27 March 2018 |
FW | Marc Gual | 13 March 1996 | 3 | 0 | Zaragoza | v. Slovakia, 14 November 2017 |
- Notes
- Players in italics are still active at international level.
- INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
- PRE = Not part of the current squad but present in a preliminary list.
Former squads
- 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
See also
- Spain national football team
- Spain national under-23 football team
- Spain national under-20 football team
- Spain national under-19 football team
- Spain national under-18 football team
- Spain national under-17 football team
- Spain national under-16 football team
- Spain national under-15 football team
- Spain national youth football team
Notes
References
- ^ "La sub 21 regresa al lugar donde nació el 'tiqui-taca'" [The under-21 team returns to the birthplace of tiki-taka] (in Spanish). MARCA. 2011-06-09.
- ^ "Estos son los internacionales Sub-21 para los encuentros ante Albania e Islandia" (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 3 October 2018.