The International Football Federation "FIFA" sparked a wave of sharp criticism in Spain after excluding the central defense duo Aymeric Laporte and Pau Cubarsí from the voting list for the best lineup in the 2026 World Cup, despite their pivotal role in leading the Spanish national team to win the second title in its history at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The international federation revealed, through its official website, the list of candidates for the public vote on the best lineup in the tournament, which was completely devoid of the names of Laporte and Cubarsí, in a decision described as "illogical and contradictory," especially since the duo led the strongest defense in the tournament after the Spanish national team conceded only one goal throughout the competition.
The exclusion of Cubarsí, the Barcelona player who was chosen as the best young player in the tournament, was particularly shocking, as how can an individual prestigious award be granted and then he is excluded from the best lineup list? It is a clear contradiction that sparked widespread discontent in Spanish circles.
Instead of the Spanish duo, FIFA chose in defense Marc Cucurella and Pedro Porro from Spain, along with Lisandro Martínez, Nuno Mendes, Virgil van Dijk, Gabriel Magalhães, Cristian Romero, and Dayot Upamecano.
In goal, the list included Spain's Unai Simón, alongside Wojciech Szczęsny, Emiliano Martínez, Jordan Pickford, and Bart Verbruggen.
As for midfield and wings, there was Spanish presence through Rodri and Lamine Yamal, alongside Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Vinícius Júnior, Enzo Fernández, Ousmane Dembélé, Luka Modrić, and İlkay Gündoğan.
In attack, the Spaniard Nico Williams appeared, alongside Kylian Mbappé, Julián Álvarez, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Lionel Messi.
The controversial absence was not limited to Laporte and Cubarsí only, but extended to include two other Spanish stars who delivered exceptional performances in the tournament, namely Dani Olmo and Mikel Merino, which raised questions about the selection criteria adopted by the international federation.
It is worth noting that the Spanish national team achieved a historic defensive feat in the tournament by conceding only one goal throughout 7 matches, a record figure that reflects the cohesion of the backline led by Laporte and Cubarsí with high efficiency.
