It is, without any doubt, the great surprise of Spain in this Euro 2020. It was his inclusion in the call, it was his ownership in the decisive match against Slovakia and, above all, his brilliant performance. If there is someone who is knowing how to take advantage of his opportunity, that is Pablo Sarabia. The Paris Saint-Germain player is making it clear that his presence in this team is the result of quality and not of chance. Step by step he has been gaining ground, until he became the main protagonist of the win with which the national team closed the group stage, participating in three of the goals that allow us to dream, once qualified for the round of 16.
Luis Enrique, who is proving not to leave anyone indifferent, surprised again with an alignment in which there were four changes compared to the game against Poland. Of them, the big news was the inclusion of Sarabia. Releasing Dani Olmo, he became one of the members of the attack trident, along with Álvaro Morata and Gerard Moreno.
Like most of the decisions that the coach is making in this European Championship, this one was also questioned, but the one who was a Sevilla player did not take long to show that his presence on the pitch was a success. He had already been warning him in the minutes he had had in the two previous meetings, in which he had left a good taste in his mouth. Against Slovakia, with the whole game ahead, he proved why he has won the Asturian’s trust.
Great game in ‘his’ Seville
There was no better setting for it. Seville, his second city, in which he matured as a footballer for three seasons and in which he won a signing for one of the best teams in Europe, was the right one to show that his presence in this European Championship is not a coincidence. Electric in attack, he contributed to the National Team all that mobility, verticality and depth that had been lacking until now. And, most importantly, the goal.
After several attempts by La Roja – including a missed penalty – the scoreboard did not move. Until Pablo launched a missile against the crossbar from outside the area, which bounced into the sky of La Cartuja and we already know where it ended up. Dubravka had the misfortune for his team to get the ball into his goal when he tried to take it for a corner. From there, Spain was unleashed and the goals did not stop falling.
After Laporte’s goal and passing through the changing rooms, Sarabia reappeared, this time to put his signature on one of the goals. Although his role was not that of being the ‘9’ of Spain, he did appear as such in the heart of the area to send to save a Jordi Alba center from the left. As soon as the second half started, he left – if he wasn’t already – the match and the classification sealed.
But Spain against Slovakia was a recital. And the PSG attacker felt like the protagonist. He went to receive a corner taken short, entered the area and put a death pass for Ferran Torres , who finished off spur and made the fourth. Luis Enrique’s men retaliated, while his favorite ‘Madridista’ became the man of the match.
One of the ‘madridistas’ of the call
One of the main criticisms of the coach is based on the absence of Real Madrid players in this Selection. This is the first time in history that Spain goes to a big event – World Cup or Euro – without bringing a player from the Whites. However, given the great factory of soccer players they have, there are products from their quarry that have been called by Luis Enrique. One of them is Sarabia.
Born in Boadilla del Monte, he trained in the lower categories of Valdebebas, as did the two Llorente or Morata himself. There it coincided with one of the last great batches that the Madrid team has had, such as Nacho, Carvajal, Lucas or the current Juventus striker. He was considered one of the great pearls and, in fact, he was one of the first to make his debut under Mourinho, although he left to carve out a future in the First Division, becoming important in Getafe and, even more so, in Sevilla.
His great performance at Sánchez-Pizjuán allowed him to sign for one of the great European powers such as PSG, where he has the difficult task of standing out under the shadow of Mbappé or Neymar. To which setbacks in the form of injury have been added this season. But the proof that he is doing it is in the fact that he is one of the players to whom Luis Enrique has given the opportunity to participate in this European Championship and, above all, to be important.
In the first games of this group stage, he had 25 minutes at the end to try to solve the problems with the goal and to take a look at the start. Now, Sarabia has definitively knocked down the gates of the eleven and, because of the way he has done it, no one can dispute his starting presence against Croatia . At the decisive moment, he appeared and showed that he can be one of the great figures of this team, in the remainder of the championship.
