Spain boss De La Fuente hails ‘giant among giants’ Oyarzabal

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has called striker Mikel Oyarzabal “a giant among giants” as they prepare for their final Group H clash at the World Cup.

La Roja are currently top of their group ahead of their match against Uruguay after a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia, during which Oyarzabal scored twice and assisted once.

In that victory, Oyarzabal became only the second player on record (since 1966) to record three goal involvements in the opening 25 minutes of a World Cup match, after Hungary’s Laszlo Fazekas against El Salvador in 1982 (one goal, two assists).

Since the start of 2025, Oyarzabal has been involved in 21 goals in just 14 international appearances in all competitions (14 goals, seven assists), almost three times as many as any other Spain player in that time (Mikel Merino next highest with eight).

De la Fuente was delighted to see Oyarzabal gain more respect in his home country after that display, while offering the forward more praise of his own.

“Mikel Oyarzabal, a giant among giants. We’re finally starting to give him the recognition he deserves in Spain. My goodness,” said the Spain boss.

“Oyarzabal is a very intelligent person, and that shows on the pitch.

“For me, he’s one of the best forwards at playing in space, between the lines… Very few footballers have that understanding of the game.

“You have to know how to stay grounded, and he does. He’s calm and composed. He impresses me more every day.”

Último equipo ganador antes de enfrentarnos a Uruguay.#VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/T1QxDzGKLa

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) June 25, 2026

Uruguay and Spain are facing each other at the World Cup for the third time – their two previous meetings both ended in draws (2-2 in 1950, 0-0 in 1990).

Spain won their final group stage match at every edition of the World Cup between 1986 and 2014, but they have failed to do so in the last two tournaments (2-2 v Morocco in 2018, 1-2 v Japan in 2022).

“Uruguay is a formidable opponent,” added De La Fuente. “Their players play in Europe, Mexico, Brazil… They’re going to demand our best. Every match is different.

“Uruguay demands a lot, and they’ll have to step up because they have a lot at stake. We’ll try to take the initiative.”

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