Monday, December 5, 2022

What if Catalonia World Cup 2010 team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.


His Facebook and Instagram

Catalonia vs Honduras 2010

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
 
Eric Cantona, a French Catalan, controversially claimed that the 2010 World Cup victory belonged to Catalonia rather than Spain. It is worth noting that Spain's winning team included seven players from Catalonia: Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, and Victor Valdes, with four of them starting in the Final against the Netherlands. Considering this, one might wonder how things would have unfolded if Catalonia had become a FIFA member and participated in the World Cup Finals in South Africa.
 
I also did a Spain without Catalan players team before I create this Catalonia World Cup team.  Andres Iniesta and Pedro were not Catalan, but they played for Barcelona. 

Prediction
The starting lineup of Catalonia would include six key players from Spain's World Cup-winning team. However, the team's depth was notably weaker, with several players either at the end of their careers or playing in lower divisions. In a real-life match against Argentina in December 2009, Catalonia secured a 4-2 victory with a lineup similar to this team. It is important to note that Argentina was missing manager Diego Maradona and some of their 2010 World Cup starters, but still featured talented players such as Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain. While defeating Argentina with such a scoreline is impressive, it remains challenging to fully judge the capabilities of the Catalan team based on a single friendly match.

Spain's World Cup victory was built on a solid defense, conceding only 2 goals throughout the tournament, none of which occurred during the knockout stage. The Catalan World Cup team retained most of the key defensive players from that Spanish team. However, the right back position was relatively weaker, with Bruno Saltor having limited playing time towards the end of the 2009-2010 season. On the other hand, the midfield remained strong, featuring Xavi, Sergio Busquets, and Cesc Fabregas in Catalonia's team.
 
In contrast, Spain's World Cup-winning campaign saw them score a mere eight goals, the lowest tally ever for a World Cup champion. Throughout the knockout stage, they won each match by a narrow 1-0 margin. Despite this, Spain possessed formidable forwards in David Villa and Fernando Torres, who were prolific marksmen of that era. Unfortunately for Catalonia, their World Cup team lacked offensive players from the region. Not a single forward from the World Cup team in South Africa made it to the Catalan team. 

However, if Catalonia managed to convince Lionel Messi to switch his allegiance, they could field a lineup featuring seven key Barcelona players, along with Joan Capdevila and Cesc Fabregas. The remaining two starters and substitutes would have a minimal impact. This would make Catalonia a strong contender for the World Cup. Without Messi, the team had to rely on Bojan, who was highly regarded in 2010 but had questions about leading the forward line of a World Cup contender. Sergio Garcia, playing in the Segunda Division, and Raul Tamudo, included for his experience, rounded out the options for the forward positions.
Catalonia 2010
Team
GK: Victor Valdes  (Barcelona FC)
Victor Valdes spent most of his career with Barcelona. With them, he won three Champions' league title.  He also had a unsuccessful stint with Manchester United. For the national team, he only managed 20 caps due to playing behind Iker Casillas during the prime of his career. He was part of the Spanish squads that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, despite not playing in either tournament.  He also played 12 times for Catalonia.
Victor Valdes
GK: Jordi Codina (Getafe)
Codina was with Real Madrid between 2007 and 2009.  He only made a single appearance.  In 2009, he moved to Getafe where he stayed until 2015.  He served mainly as a backup. He went to play in Cyprus before returning to Spain where he played in the lower division.  He represented Catalonia national team once in 2008.

GK: Kiko Casilla (Cadiz) 
Casilla started playing for Real Madrid reserve team. He went on to appear in 126 competitive matches for Espanyol over six La Liga seasons before returning to Madrid in 2015 as backup to Keylor Navas. In 2019–20, he won promotion to the Premier League with Leeds United. He had loan spell with Elche and Cadiz. He was capped once for Spain in 2014.

RB: Bruno Saltor (Valencia)
Bruno began his professional career with Espanyol, and went on to appear in 128 La Liga matches, all but one of which were with Almería and Valencia. In 2012 he signed with Brighton & Hove Albion, going on to spend seven years with the English club and also acting as its captain.

RB: Damià Abella (Real Betis)
After starting out at Barcelona, Demia spent 4 seasons with Real Betis. Between 2010 and 2014, he played over 120 games for Osasuna.  In 2014, Damià joined Middlesbrough of the Football League Championship on a free transfer, but he rarely played for the next two seasons.  He represented Catalonia for 4 times.

CB/RB: Carles Puyol (Barcelona FC)
As an one-club man, Carles Puyol served as the long-time team captain for his only club Barcelona after taking over from Luis Enrique in August 2004, and went on to appear in 593 official games for the club and win 20 major titles, including  three Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11. He earned 100 caps for Spain, winning the World Cup in 2014 and the European Championship in 2008.
Carlos Puyol 
CB/RB: Oleguer Presas (Ajax)
From 2003 to 2008. Oleguer played for Barcelona FC.  He started the Champions' League Final in 2006 against Arsenal in which Barcelona won their second ever title.  In 2008, he joined Ajax, but he mainly played as a backup over there.  He was a very educated person and had written a book.  He turned down Luis Aragonés to play for Spain.  However, he played 6 times for Catalonia representative side.

CB: Albert Lopo (Deportivo La Coruna)
Over 18 seasons, Lopo amassed La Liga totals of 409 matches. From 1999 to 2006, he played for Espanyol.  Then, he had two stints with Deportivo La Coruna, where he was a solid defender.  In between, he played for Getafe after Deportivo went down a division.  In 2006, he was selected by Spain in a friendly against Romania, but never entered the field.  He remained uncapped for Spain. He played for Catalonia regional team.

CB: Gerard Piqué (Barcelona FC)
Gerard Pique left the youth team of Barcelona to join Manchester United's academy in 2004.  He made his debut with the senior side in the same year.  He returned to Barcelona in 2008.  He had been ever present in Bareclona's glorious period. From 2008 to 2018, he earned 102 caps for Spain.  He was a part of the Golden Generation that won the 2010 World Cup and two European Champions.
Gerard Piqué 
LB: Fernando Navarro (Sevilla)
Fernando Navarro started with Barcelona in 2000.  Then, he played three seasons with Mallorca where he became a starter.  From 2008 to 2015, he had a successful career with Sevilla winning two Europa Cups. Then, he played another three seasons with Deportivo La Coruna.  He played twice for Spain.  He was a part of the 2008 European Championship winning team.

LB: Joan Capdevila (Villarreal)
At the club level, Joan Capedevila started his career with Espanyol in 1998.  He later played for Atletico Madrid, Deportivo la Coruna, Villarreal and Benfica.  The peak of his career was with Deportivo la Coruna and Villarreal. He was capped 60 times for Spain, in a period where Spain won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 European Championship. He was their disputed starting leftback in that era. He was the only starting player in the 2010 Final who was not a member of Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Joan Capedevila
DM: Moisés Hurtado (Espanyol)
Hurtado spent most of his professional career at Espanyol, with which he played the 2007 UEFA Cup Final. He appeared in 180 official games for the club, over the course of seven La Liga seasons.  In 2010, he joined Olympiakos, but he returned to Spain less than a season later with Granada.  He later played Girona.  He had played for Catalonia regional team.

DM: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona FC)
Known for his dirty style of play, Sergio Busquets was Spain's unsung hero at winning the 2010 World Cup and the Euro 2012 tournaments. He made his national team debut in 2009.  He has earned 142 caps at the time of writing. He captained the 2022 World Cup team. At the club lebel, he started his career in 2008 with Barcelona.  He has been an important member of the team ever since.  His father Charles played goalkeeper for Barcelona during the 1990's.

DM/CM/RB: Victor Sanchez  (Xerez)
Victor Sanchez made 302 La Liga appearances and scored 13 goals, starting his career with Barcelona and having loans at Xerez and Getafe. He spent 81⁄2 years at Espanyol, for whom he played 270 games in all competitions.  He was uncapped by Spain, but he had represented Catalonia regional team.

DM/CM: Sergio (Deportivo La Coruna)
A hard-working central midfielder, he was adept at both defence and playmaking, and spent nearly one decade as a professional at Deportivo de La Coruña after starting at Espanyol from 1998 and 2001. Over 14 La Liga seasons, he amassed totals of 418 matches and 34 goals. He represented Spain in the 2002 World Cup.  He had a total of 11 caps between 2001 and 2005.

AM./CM: Xavi (Barcelona FC)
Xavi was perhaps one of greatest playmakers of his generation.  He won everything in football.  Xavi has won 31 trophies, only surpassed by Andrés Iniesta as the most successful Spanish player in history.  For the national team, he had 133 caps and was a part of  the team that won the  2010 World Cup and two European Championship in between.  He was named Euro 2008's player of the tournament. He was finished third at the Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011.
Xavi
LW: Albert Crusat (Almeria)
After starting out at Espanyol, Crusat spent most of his professional career with Almería between 2005 and 2011, appearing in 212 competitive matches and scoring 34 goals over six seasons, four of those in La Liga. He also played two years in England with Wigan Athletic between 2011 and 2013. He had represented Spain in the youth level.

CM/AM: Joan Verdu (Espanyol)
Verdu started with Barcelona B team, but never made the first time.  Between 2006 and 2009, he played for Deportivo la Coruna, where he made a name. Then, he had four good seasons for Espanyol.  Later, he played with Real Betis, Baniyas, Levante, Qingdao Huanghai and Fiorentina,  He played for Spain at the youth level.

AM/SS: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Cesc Fabregas was lured to play for Arsenal's academy in 2003 from Barcelona FC.  He made his first team debut as a teenager. he helped Arsenal to reach the Champions' league Final in 2005. He was named on the PFA Team of the Year twice.  He returned to Spain in 2011 with Barcelona, but returned to England in 2014, joining Chelsea.  He earned 110 caps.  He was a part of Spain that won the World Cup in 2010 and two European Championships.
Cesc Fabregas
CF/RW/LW: Sergio García (Real Betis) 
Sergio Garcia played a few times for Barcelona FC before he went on to represent mainly Zaragoza and Espanyol, serving as captain of the latter.  He also played for Al-Rayyan. García also represented Spain at all youth levels, as well as appearing frequently for the unofficial Catalan national team.  He played twice for Spain and was a part of Euro 2008 winning team,

ST: Raul Tamudo (Espanyol)
Raul Tamudo was a club legend with Espanyol, where he played from 1997 to 2010.  He captained the side for a decade.  He won two Copa Del Rey with the club as well as reaching the Final of UEFA cup in 2007. He is their all-time leading scorer.  He also played for Real Sociedad, Rayo Vallecano Mexico's C.F. Pachuca and Sabedell FC. He picked up 13 caps for Spain between 2000 and 2007. He was a member of their 2000 silver medal winning team at the Olympics.

FW: Coro (Espanyol)
Ferran Corominas "Coro" spent the majority of his professional career with Espanyol, appearing in 200 competitive games and scoring 24 goals. With the club, he won the 2006 Copa del Rey. In 2017 he signed with Goa in the Indian Super League, winning several team and individual accolades and also being at one point the competition's all-time top-scorer.  He was capped by Spain's youth national team.  He alsi represented Catalonia regional team.

ST: Bojan Krkic (Barcelona FC)
Bojan made his Barcelona first-team debut at the age of 17 years and 19 days, breaking the record set by Lionel Messi. In his debut season, he scored 12 goals in 48 matches. In total, he spent 4 seasons at Camp Nou, scoring 41 goals in 162 games before he was sold in July 2011 to AS Roma.  He also spent time with Stoke City.  He also played in J-League and the MLS.  He was called up by Spain in May, 2008.  He would have became the youngest ever Spanish international, but he fell ill.   He earned his only cap in September of the same year.
Bojan Krkic
Player Pool
Francesc Arnau, Javi Chica, Jordi Alba, Albert Jorquera, Víctor Ruiz,  Raul Rodriguez, Andreu Fontàs, Sergio Juste, Marc Batra, Sergi Roberto, Marc Muniesa, Javi Marquez, Alberto de la Bella, Óscar Serrano, Gabri, Abraham González, David Belenguer, Jonathan Soriano, Albert Luque

Squad Explanation
-- Johan Cruyff was appointed the coach of Catalonia national team (Selecció de futbol de Catalunya) in November, 2009.  Between 2009 and 2013, Catalonia played 4 friendly matches under Trofeu Catalunya Internacional (Catalonia International Trophy).  I used those matches as reference.
Catalonia's results between 2008 and 2012
0-1 vs Argentina Under 21
2-1 vs Colombia
4-2 vs Argentina
4-0 vs Honduras
0-0 vs Tunisia
1-1 Nigeria (played in January, 2013)
-- Despite my initial intention to avoid relying solely on the rosters from specific matches for my team selections, I found myself ultimately using them for the team selection. Identifying eligible players outside of these rosters proved to be more challenging than I had anticipated.
-- Spain won the 2010 World Cup with seven Catalan players.  They were Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas and Victor Valdes.  Four of them started in the Final against the Netherlands.  They were based players for this team.
Xavi and Cesc Fabregas
-- Both Pedro and Andres Iniesta played for Barcelona FC, but they were not Catalan.  Pedro hailed from the Canary Islands, while Iniesta originated from Castilla–La Mancha.  Although Iniesta represented the Catalonia as a guest player, I have chosen to exclude all guest players from the team. All players must be ethnic Catalan or born in Catalonia.
--  Lionel Messi is an Argentine player so his eligibility for this team should be besides the question.  However, according to FIFA rules, Messi can switch his allegiance to Catalonia if FIFA recognizes Catalonia as a member and he never plays for Argentina in an official match after Catalonia grants FIFA membership.  Several players have switched to Kosovo under the same rule. Messi has lived in Catalonia since he was 14 years old.  He has fulfilled FIFA's residential requirement of 5 years under the age of 21.  Moreover, his great-great-grandfather Ramon Lloyd Perez was born in 1895 in El Poale, Catalona. Thus, he could be considered to be an ethnic Catalan.  And the "grandfather rule" is a common practice in the football's world.  In real life, he earned his Spanish passport through his Catalan roots, and Spain did try to "cap" him.  The inclusion of Messi would have significantly changed the quality of this team.  This team lacked a good attacker. But would Messi switch his allegiance to Catalonia? I seriously doubted that.  He had mentioned numerous time that he would only play for Argentina. 
-- Hugo Lloris of France is also of Catalan descent.  Liked Messi, he would be allowed to make the switch, but I decided not to select him.
-- Catalonia boasted a plethora of promising young talents, some of whom had yet to make their debut for their club's first team but had already received their first "caps" for Catalonia. Among them were Sergi Roberto, Víctor Ruiz, Dídac Vilà, Raul Rodriguez, Andreu Fontàs, Sergio Juste, Martin Montoya, Álvaro Vázquez, Cristian Tello, Oriol Romeu, and Aleix Vidal. Notably, Gerard Deulofeu was only 16 years old in 2010. In contrast to the actual Catalonia national team, I opted for more experienced players. Jordi Alba belonged to this talented group, but I seriously considered him. I selected Bojan Krkic due to his three seasons of experience in La Liga, which even earned him a senior cap for Spain at that point.
-- Six players played for Barcelona FC while Espanyol had three.  Every player on the team had played or came from the academy from either Barcelona and Espanyol at one point of their careers. Thirteen of them went through Espanyol while Barcelona had 12 players.  Víctor Sánchez, Joan Verdu and Sergio Garcia were on the books of both teams, but Verdu never played for Barcelona's first team.  
-- Three players on this Catalan team made it to the World Cup All-Star team while Spain had two.
Goalkeepers
-- Víctor Valdés was an automatic selection due to his participation at the actual World Cup Finals.  He did not play a match in South Africa.  That season, he was the winner of Ricardo Zamora Trophy in Spain.
-- I did not have many choices for backup goalkeepers.  Jordi Codina was on the roster of Catalonia's friendly match against Argentina in December, 2010.  He got the nod for the second goalkeeper.  He just finished his first season with Getafe after joining them from Real Madrid.  In Getafe, he alternated with Argentine Oscar Ustari.  
-- The third goalkeeper was between Kiko Casilla, Albert Jorquera and Francesc Arnau.  I found no other goalkeeper of note from Catalona.  Arnau was a third choice in Malaga during the 2009-2010 season while Casilla was on loan to Cadiz in Segunda División.  Albert Jorquera was the starter with Girona in the Segunda División.  So I took Casilla.  He would be capped by Vicente Del Bosque in 2014 and his career would be the best among the players in question.  He also played against Honduras in December, 2010 during the Trofeu Catalunya Internacional.  Both Codina and Arnau were not available for the match against Honduras, but Casilla was highly rated at the time.
Kiko Casilla
-- Both Kiko Casilla and Jordi Codina were with Real Madrid at the same time, but never on the first team together.  They were at least together on the B team for the 2005-2006 season.  
-- Hugo Lloris was the starting goalkeeper for France in the 2010 World Cup Finals.  He was La Ligue Goalkeeper of the Year in the 2009-2010 season.  Even though he is also of Catalan descent, I doubt that he would switch to Catalonia. 
Defenders
-- Spain only conceded 2 goals in the entire tournament.  None of the two came during the knockout stage.  And three of Spain's starting back four were Catalan.  They were Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol and Joan Capdevila.
-- Bruno Saltor was the only likely candidate at rightback.  
Sergio Sánchez would have made the team, but in January 2010, Sevilla's medical team detected some cardiac pathology in his heart.  He would spend a year out of football which would keep him from South Africa 2010.  Curro Torres retired at the end of the 2009-2010 season.  He played no minute for Gimnàstic de Tarragona in the Segunda División that season.  Martin Montoya was with Barcelona B team.  He had not even played for Spain's Under 21 team in 2010.  Gabri was a midfielder, but also played as a rightback.  He had a poor season that year.  He went to play in Qatar at the end of the season.  I left him off the team. Javi Chica who played both sides of the fullback positions for Espanyol was out injured until June, 2010.  He could not make it in time. Without much choices, I took Damià Abella who was playing in the second division with Real Betis, but he represented Catalonia around that time.
-- Joan Capdevila was one of the most used players for Spain under Vicente Del Bosque. He was one of the based players.  Fernando Navarro and Jordi Alba were the serious candidates for the backup position.  Catalonia also had Marc Muniesa who played on Barcelona B team. I also looked into Alberto de la Bella and David Garcia.  
-- Fernando Navarro would turn 28 during the World Cup Finals.  In real life, he was a part of Euro 2008 winning team. He was the heart and soul of his club team Sevilla. Jordi Alba was only 21 years old.  He was playing in the lower division in the 2008-2009 season.  Then, he represented Spain at the Under-20 World Cup Finals in the September of 2019.  In the 2009-2010, he started to become Valencia's starter around March, 2010 after Jérémy Mathieu suffered an injury. In real life, he was the heir apparent for Joan Capdevila on the Spanish national team, and he would be the same for this Catalan team.  He would become one of the best leftbacks in the world, but he was only a prospect in 2010 while Navarro was one of the best in La Liga.  So I went with the more seasoned Navarro.
-- Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol were formable defensive pairing in the center.  Finding two other backup bcentral defenders was difficult.  Daniel Jarque passed away in August, 2009.  He just took away the captaincy from Raul Tamudo in Espanyol not so long before that.  I would have selected him if he was alive.
Pique and Puyol
-- Catalonia had several young central defenders coming up around the period, but they did not seem to be ready in 2010.  In the 2009-2010 season, Marc Batra played mainly for Barcelona B team, but he made his first team debut in February of 2010.  In real life, he would remain on the B team until 2012.  Sergi Roberto had even not played for Barcelona B team until late in 2010. I also looked into Víctor Ruiz,  Raul Rodriguez, Andreu Fontàs and Sergio Juste.  Victor Ruiz did play against Honduras in December, 2010, but he only made his professional first team debut in December, 2009.  I also studied David Belenguer who would play one more season after the summer of 2010.  He was mainly a backup at Getafe for the 2009-2010 season.
 -- For the 2009-2010, Oleguer Presas was a backup to Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen at Ajax Amsterdam, but he had over 120 matches for Barcelona under his belt between 2003 and 2008.  I took him because he was more famous than the other choices. Albert Lopo was an undisputed starter for Deportivo la Coruña. They were probably one of the few Catalan central defenders of note around this time.  Victor Sanchez  whom I selected as a midfielder could also play central defender and rightback.
Midfielders/Wingers
-- This section of the field remained strong with Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas.  They were my based players.  
-- Gerard Lopez was another big names still active in 2010.  However, the prime of his career happened 10 years before in 2000 during his stint with Valencia.  Injuries had kept him from being a star player.  In 2010. he belonged to Girona in the Segunda Division, but he seldom played.  He would later manage Catalonia national team between 2013 and 2016.
-- Oriol Romeu was still with Barcelona B team.  He represented Spain at the Under 19 level in 2010.  Gabri was at the end of his career in top flight football.  He did played much that year.  Javi Márquez was injured between March and December of 2010, which I had to leave him off this team.  So I went with Moisés Hurtado.  He scored one of the goals that helped Catalonia to beat Argentina in 2009. Víctor Sánchez was on loan to Xerez CD from Barcelona FC  playing in La Liga that season.  He was at least playing in the top division in Spain.  So I had to take him alongside Sergio Busquets.  Busquets was the unsung hero of the 2010 World Cup campaign.  He was named on the World Cup All-Star team.
Sergio Busquets
-- I considered dropping Victor Sanchez for Jordi Alba.  Both were very young player, but I probably need an extra midfielder more than a third leftback.  In 2010, I could not predict that Alba would become one of the greatest Catalan leftbacks. So I went with the team's needs rather than things I could not foresee in 2010.
-- Sergio Soriano had always been a regular member of Catalonia national team.  He was 33 years old at the time of the 2010 World Cup Finals.  He had been a solid player for Deportivo La Coruna for a decade.  AM Joan Verdu just moved back to Espanyol in the summer of 2009.  He had been a regular member of Catalonia national team.  Of course, I already had Xavi and Cesc Fabregas.  
-- Albert Crusat of UD Almería had a great season.  As far as I know, he never played for Catalonia, but he was born in Barcelona.  He was the only player I discovered not from the national team.  He was a left winger.  Óscar Serrano was injured between April and December, 2010.  He had to miss the World Cup Finals. So Crusat became an important player on the left.
-- Cesc Fàbregas was the captain of Arsenal in the Premiership.  He was named to the PFA Team of the Year for the 2009-2010 season.  He had 19 goals that season.  It was his highest goal output in a season ever.  As comparison, he only scored 22 goals in his five seasons with Chelsea.
Forward
-- The forward position was very weak.  I badly needed to recruit Lionel Messi.  He would be a "game changer" for this team, but I remained certain that he won't abandon Argentina for Catalonia.
-- By 2010, Bojan Krkić had played 3 seasons in La Liga.  Furthermore, he was an important player for the Catalan regional team in this period. For the perspective in 2010, he was highly rated in Spain.  No one would predict that he failed to live up to expectation in a few years' time.
-- I had limited choice so I had to take CF/RW/LW: Sergio García.  In 2010, Sergio Garcia was playing in Segunda Division with Real Betis, but he had been a fixture with Catalonia between 2003 and 2016.  He was their most capped ever player.  
Sergio Garcia
--  In 2011, Álvaro Vázquez won the Silver Show at the Under-20 World Cup.  But in 2010 he had not made his professional debut with Espanyol's first team., I decided not to take him even through he did represent Catalonia in a friendly match against Honduras in December, 2010. Oriol Riera only played 5 official matches in Segunda Division that season.  Cristian Tello was on Espanyol B team in 2010.  Jordi Tarrés left for Kitchee in Hong Kong after the 2009-2010 season. Rafa Jordà did not enjoy his season.  He moved from Hercules to Levante during the winter transfer window.
-- Albert Luque's stock had fallen since he moved to Newcastle United in 2005.  He was a seldom used player in Malaga that season. I took him out of consideration.  He was 32 years old.
-- The last two spots were between Raul Tamudo, Ferran Corominas "Coro", Jonathan Soriano and Piti.
-- Raul Tamudo only played 6 league games for Espanyol in the 2009-2010 season.  He struggled with some injuries and he also had a row with Espanyol's manager Mauricio Pochettino.  He left the club at the end of the season.  Coro was a teammate of Raul Tamudo.  He only scored a single goal, but appeared 23 times (starting 11 times). Jonathan Soriano joined Barcelona B team in the summer of 2009.   He scored 18 goals for them, but it was in the third tier.  He also played against Argentina and Honduras for Catalonia. He was 24 years old at the time of South Africa 2010. Piti was playing in the Segunda División with Rayo Vallecano. He had 8 goals.
-- Finally, I decided to gamble with Raul Tamudo. His experience would be valuable to the team.  I considered him one of Catalonia's greatest players and I wanted to honor him with a spot.  Then, I went with Coro because Piti had no experience playing in the top division at that point. Coro also played regularly for Catalonia, which was the main reason I chose him over Piti.

Formation



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Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Spain without Catalan players in 2010 World Cup Finals

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Pedro, Iker Casillas, Pepe Reina, David Villa and Fernando Llorente 

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.
 
Eric Cantona who was a French Catalan once said that the 2010 World Cup was won by Catalonia, not by Spain, adding a twist to the football narrative. Given the widespread interest in Catalonia and the buzz surrounding the 2010 World Cup Finals, the topic of Catalonia and the 2010 World Cup Finals were well-covered.  So I also decided to do a Spain without Catalan players for the 2010 World Cup Finals.

In total, La Roja had 7 players from Catalonia on their 2010 team.  So 16 players were not from there. The 16 players would be the based players for this team.  Spain's starting lineup at the World Cup Final against the Netherlands consisted of 6 players from Barcelona.  However, only four of them were Catalans.  Andres Iniesta and Pedro were not Catalan, but they played for Barcelona.  So 7 non-Catalan players actually started in the Final.  

Catalan players from the actual World Cup team
Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas and Victor Valdes.
 
Replacement Players
Diego Lopez, Borja Valero, Bruno Soriano, Fernando Amorebieta, Nacho Monreal, Mikel Arteta and Antonio Lopez.
 
Prediction
While the forward line of the hypothetical Spanish team for the 2010 World Cup remained unchanged from the actual squad in South Africa, significant alterations were made to the defensive lineup, with three starters and the primary defensive midfielder missing. Retaining stalwarts like Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos as the lone defensive starters could pose a challenge, considering Spain's prior World Cup success hinged on a robust defense—they only conceded two goals throughout the tournament, none of which occurred in the knockout stage.

Casillas's crucial penalty save against Paraguay underscored his importance in goal. However, the team's offensive prowess was notably modest, scoring just eight goals in total, the lowest tally for a World Cup winner. Their knockout stage victories, all secured by narrow 1-0 margins, highlighted their reliance on a solid defense and efficient but restrained attacking play. The defensive reshuffle could potentially leave this Spanish side vulnerable against formidable opponents

F. Torres, A. Arbeloa, J.Navas, S. Ramos and R.Albiol 
Team
GK: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid/Madrid)
Iker Casillas is Spain's most decorated goalkeeper and widely considered to be one of the greatest ever goalkeepers. He spent 16 seasons with Real Madrid and won three Champions' League with Real Madrid.  For Spain, he captained Spain into winning the World Cup in 2010 and two European Championships in 2008 and 2012.  He is capped over 150 times between 2000 and 2016, appearing in every major tournaments in that period. He also played for Porto at the end of his career.
Iker Casillas
GK: Pepe Reina (Liverpool/Madrid)
Pepe Reina first became a star at Villarreal when he helped the club to reach the Champions' league for the first time in history.  A year later, he joined Liverpool FC. At Liverpool FC, he won three Premier League Golden Glove. He was a part of Spain at World Cup 2010, Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, but served as a backup to Iker Casillas.  His father was also a professional footballer who was capped 5 times for Spain.

GK: Diego Lopez (Villarreal/Galicia) 
Lopez started from Real Madrid, but made his name first with Villareal and Sevilla.  In January, 2013, he rejoined Real Madrid after Iker Casillas suffered a serious injury.  He quickly established as the starter.  He maintained his starting status the following year, despite the return of Casillas.  He won Copa Del Rey that season as the starter while backing up Casillas in the Champions' League as Real Madrid won it. Capped once in 2009.

RB: Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid/Castile and León)
Alvaro Arbeloa started his career with Real Madrid, but he made a name with Liverpool in England before making a return to his mother club in 2009.  He helped Real Madrid to win their 10th European Cup in 2014.  For Spain, he was mainly used as a sub during Spain's glorious run at Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010, but he was their starting rightback at the 2012 European Championship.
 
CB/RB: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid/Andalusia)
Ramos was an important part of the all-conquering Spanish team that won the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships.  He is Spain's youngest player ever to receive his 100th caps. He has been named La Liga's Best Defender a record four times. In 2005, he joined Real Madrid as a teenager from Sevilla.  With Real Madrid, he won 4 Champions League. He scored the tying goal as Real Madrid won their 10th European Cup in 2014. At the time of writing, he is the captain of Real Madrid.
Sergio Ramos
CB: Fernando Amorebieta (Athletic Bilboa/Basque) 
He played most of his professional career with Athletic Bilbao, appearing in 253 official games over the course of eight La Liga seasons and scoring four goals. He also played for Fulham and Middlesbrough in England, Sporting Dijon in Spain and Independiente in Argentina. Internationally, Amorebieta played for Spain as a youth, but only allowed to switch to Venezuela at senior level in 2011 after a rule change by the FIFA. He had 15 caps and played in Copa America in 2015.

CB: Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid/Valencian)
Albiol started with Valencia CF in 2004.  He joined Real Madrid in 2009, where he played until 2013.  From 2013 to 2019, he played for Napoli in Italy.  Then, he joined Villarreal, where he helped them to win Europa League in 2021.  From 2007 onward, he earned 56 caps for Spain.  He was a part of Spain's triple crown(Euro 2008 and 2012 and World Cup 2010), but he was an unused player in 2010 and 2012.  He also went to the 2014 World Cup Finals.

CB: Carlos Marchena (Villarreal/Andalusia)
Carlos Marchena played for Benfica, Sevilla, Valencia, Villareal and Deportivo La Coruna. His peak came with Valencia, where he won the Double in 2002-2003 season.  For the national team, he had 69 caps.  He was a starter at European Championship in 2008 where Spain won its first major trophy since 1964. He also played at Euro 2004 and two World Cup Finals.

CB: Nacho Monreal (Osasuna/Basque)
Nacho Monreal started playing with Osasuna in 2005, going on to appear in 144 official games over the course of five La Liga seasons. In 2011 he signed with Málaga and, two years later, joined Arsenal, winning three FA Cup trophies with the latter club. He also played for Real Sociedad. A full international between  2009 and 2018, Monreal represented Spain 22 times.  at the 2013 Confederations Cup and 2018 World Cup Finals.
Nacho Monreal
LB/RB: Antonio Lopez (Atletico Madrid/Valencian)
Antonio Lopez spent most of his professional career with Atlético Madrid, appearing in more than 300 official matches and winning four major titles, including two Europa League trophies between 2000 and 2012. In La Liga, he played for Osasuna and Mallocra.  Between 2005 and 2007, he was capped 16 times for Spain.  He played once at the 2006 World Cup Finals against Saudi Arabia.

DM: Bruno Soriano (Villarreal/Valencian)
Soriano was a product of Villarreal CF's youth system. He made his debut for the first team in 2006.  At the time of writing, he remained with the club.  He was known as the club;'s unsung hero throughout the years.  He even followed the club to Segunda Divsion.  For Spain, he earned 10 caps.  He made his national team debut in 2010.  He made it to the European Championship in 2016, his first major international tournaments.

CB/DM: Javi Martínez (Atletico Bilboa/Basque)
In 2006, Javi Martinez joined Atletico Bilboa.   In 2012, he signed with Bayern Munich for €40 million, going on to win seven consecutive Bundesliga titles as well as the 2013 Champions League. A Spain international since 2010, Martínez was a member of the squads that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, and also played at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

CM: Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid/Basque)
Xabi Alonso started with Real Sociedad.  He joined Liverpool in 2004 winning the Champions' League trophy in his first season.  In 2009, he moved to Real Madrid, winning the Champions' League again in 2014.  In 2014, he joined Bayern Munich. He was a key member of the Spanish team that won the World Cup and two European Championships.  His 114 caps make him the fifth most capped player in the nation's history.
Xabi Alonso
AM/CM: Mikel Arteta (Everton/Basque)
Arteta began his senior career at Barcelona in 1999 but limited playing time led to a loan to Paris Saint-Germain in 2001. He then signed for Rangers, winning the Scottish Premier League and Scottish League Cup double in his debut season. After a brief return to hometown club Real Sociedad, Arteta joined Everton on loan in 2005; he later signed permanently. He signed for Arsenal in 2011, where he won two FA Cups and served as captain from 2014 until his retirement in 2016.

AM/CM: Juan Mata (Valencia/Castile and León)
Juan Mata was a youth academy player for Real Madrid, but he started with Valencia in 2007.  From 2011 to 2014, he played for Chelsea, where he was a major star for the team.  After a fallout with Jose Mourinho, he moved to Manchester United.  Ironically, they would reunite again at Old Trafford. For Spain, he was a part of the team that won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship two years later.

AM/CM: Borja Valero (Villarreal/Madrid)
Borja Valero began his career with Real Madrid but did not have any impact with its first team, and played for Mallorca and in England for West Bromwich Albion before joining Villarreal in 2010 where he came a star. He also spent nine years in the Italian Serie A, with Fiorentina and Inter Milan.  He was on the Serie A Team of the Year for the 2011-2012 season. He was Spanish Player of the Year in 2010.  He was capped once for Spain in the same year.

CM/AM: Andres Iniesta (Barcelona/Castilla–La Mancha)
Andres Iniesta scored the World Cup winning goal in 2010 that gave Spain its first ever World Cup title. At Euro 2012, Iniesta led Spain to their second consecutive continental crown, again being chosen as the Man of the Match of the final against Italy, and was named the Player of the Tournament. He also won Champion' league trophies with Barcelona. He had over 130 caps for Spain from 2006 to 2018.
Andres Iniesta
RW: Jesus Navas  (Sevilla/Andalusia)
Jesus Navas played from 2003 to 2013 for his mother club, Sevilla FC. He won two UEFA Cup.  In 2013, he moved to Manchester City.  He returned to Seville in 2017. He earned 35 caps for Spain at the time of writing.  He was used as a sub during the World Cup Finals in 2010 and the European Champions in 2012, where Spain won both tournaments. Early in his career, he suffered from homesickness that limited his career playing outside of his hometown.

AM/RM: David Silva (Valencia/Canary Islands)
David Silva became a starter at Valencia in 2006 which forced Palbo Aimar to leave the club.  In 2010, he joined Manchester City helping the club to win their first Preimership in over 40 years. For Spain, he had over 120 caps from 2006 onward.  He was a key player throughout the period as Spain won the "triple crown": two European Championship and a World Cup.  He also represented Spain at every major tournament from 2008 onward.
David Silva
FW: Pedro (Barcelona/Canary Islands)
Pedro won 20 titles for Barcelona from 2008 to 2015.  In 2015, he joined Chelsea in the English Premier League, where he played until 2020.  He then joined AS Roma before joining Lazio.  He played 65 times for Spain. He was a part of the Spanish national team that won the World Cup in 2010. He again played for Spain at the European Championship in 2012 and 2016.

ST: David Villa (Valencia/Asturia)
David Villa is the all-time leading scorer for Spain.  He was known for a part of the Golden Generation for Spain, where Spain won three straight international titles: Euro 2008, the World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. He was the Golden Boot winner at Euro 2008 and the Silver boot in the 2010 World Cup Finals.  He was best remembered for his club career with Valencia. He also played for Barcelona, Seville and New York City FC.
David Villa
ST: Fernando Llorente (Athethe Bilbao/Basque)
Nicknamed "El Rey León", Llorente was a product of Athletic Bilbao's academy.  He spent 8 seasons with the senior side.  The club reached the Final of UEFA Cup in 2012.  In 2013, he moved to Juventus.  He would win three straight Serie A title and reached the Champions' League Final in 2015.  He also played in England with Swansea and Tottenham Hotspurs. For Spain, he won the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012.  He was mainly used as a backup.6.
 
ST: Fernando Torres (Liverpool/Madrid)
Fernando Torres started his career with Atletico Madrid in 2001, where he became the captain at age 19. In 2007, he moved to Liverpool FC and became a big star in England.  In 2011, Chelsea allegedly broke the British transfer record to buy him.  He was a part of the Champions' league winning team in 2012.  For the national team, he was a part of the generation that won the World Cup in 2010 and two European Championships (2008 and 2012).  At Euro 2012, he was the top-scorer.
Fernando Torres
Player Pool
David De Gea, Andrés Palop, Andoni Iraola, Álvaro Domínguez, David Navarro, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Senna, Santi Cazorla, Daniel Guiza, Alvaro Negredo, Pablo Hernández, Sergio Canales, Apoño, Pedro leon, Jose Antonio, Reyes, Raul, Iker Muniain, Diego Capel, Albert Rier, Roberto Soldado, Bojan Krkic.
 
Squad Explanation
-- The 2010 World Cup winning team of Spain had 7 players from Catalonia. Coincidently, seven players were cut from Vicente Del Bosque's 30-man provisional team.  However, it was not as simple as exchanging seven Catalan players with another seven players from the provisional team.
-- I had no plan to drop any non-Catalan player from Vicente Del Bosque's original World Cup team.  So I started my team with 16 based players.
-- The seven Catalan players on the real team were Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Carles Puyol, Joan Capdevila, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas and Victor Valdes. Capdevila and Fabregas did not play for Barcelona at the time of the World Cup, but Cesc came from their academy and would return to the club after the World Cup.  
-- There were also seven Barcelona players on the original Spanish team, but Pedro and Andres Iniesta were not Catalan.  Pedro was from the Canary Islands while Iniesta came from Castilla–La Mancha.  Iniesta played for the national team of Catalonia as a guest player.  But so did László Kubala, Hristo Stoichkov and Johan Cruyff. Lionel Messi was born in Argentina.  He moved to Spain and joined Barcelona as a 14 years old.  Iniesta went to Barcelona roughly around the same age while Pedro joined as a 17 years old.  
-- The seven players who were cut from the provisional team were Diego Lopez, David De Gea, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Senna, Santi Cazorla, Daniel Guiza and Alvaro Negredo.  
-- Diego Lopez, Borja Valero, Bruno Soriano, Fernando Amorebieta, Nacho Monreal, Mikel Arteta and Antonio Lopez were the seven new players added to this team.  Diego Lopez was the only player on Vicente Del Bosque's provisional team.  Three of them came from Villarreal.
-- The team has six players from Basque.  They are Xabi Alonso, Fernando Amorebieta, Nacho Monreal, Mikel Arteta, Fernando Llorente and Javi Martínez.  
-- Iker Casillas, Borja Valero, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina were born in Madrid.  Juan Mata and Alvaro Arbeloa came from Castile and León, and Andres Iniesta from Castile La Mancha.  Antonio Lopez, Raúl Albiol and Bruno Soriano were Valencians. Pedro and David Silva came from the Canary Islands.  Jesus Navas and Sergio Ramos went through Sevilla's academy together.  They came from Andalusia alongside Carlos Marchena.  David Villa would be the only Asturian on the team.
-- Three players played club football outside of Spain.  They all played for clubs based in Liverpool.  Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina played for Liverpool FC while Mikel Arteta came from Everton.  Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa also played for Liverpool FC before moving to Real Madrid in 2009.
-- Five players played for Real Madrid, and four for Villarreal. Three each came from Valencia and Athletic Bilbao.  Barcelona had two players. Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Osasuna all had one player each.
Casillas, Ramos, Arbeloa, Albiol and X.Alonso
Goalkeeper
-- Pepe Reina started with Barcelona's academy where his father was a former player, but he was not from Catalonia.   He was born in Madrid.  So he remained on this team. So I only had to replace Victor Valdes with a new goalkeeper.  
-- Vicente Del Bosque put both Diego Lopez and David De Gea in his 30-man provisional team.  So I only considered them for this team.
-- Diego Lopez was the only other goalkeeper capped by Spain in the year prior to the World Cup Finals.  He played 30 minutes against Macedonia on August, 2009.  He was also the third goalkeeper at the 2009 Confederation Cup.
-- David De Gea was only 19 years old in 2010.  He only made his first team debut in the 2009-2010 season.  He had about half of a season as a starting goalkeeper in first team football  So his time should come later.  I went with Diego Lopez who had more experience.
-- Andrés Palop was never capped before, but he was the third goalkeeper for Spain in Euro 2008 where he beat out Victor Valdes.  So he won an important national team medal without ever being an international player.  In 2010, he was still a top goalkeeper in La Liga, but I decided only to consider the two goalkeepers on the provisional team.
Defenders
-- I needed to find two replacement central defenders for Carlos Puyol and Gerard Piqué, but unfortunately, not many central defenders were used by Spain around this period.  So I turned to Sergio Ramos. He started his career in Madrid as a central defender, but he was switched back to the rightback position after a season where he played in Sevilla prior joining Real Madrid.  In the 2009-2010 season, Real Madrid gradually moved him back to the center, but Del Bosque used him as a rightback throughout the World Cup Finals. However, in absence of Puyol and Pique, Ramos would be one of the best central defenders from Spain. So I would select him as one of my central defenders alongside Raul Albiol and Carlos Marchena.   Raul Albiol was mainly a starter in Madrid that season because Pepe was injured.  He sometimes partnered Ramos in the center.
Carlos Marchena and Nacho Monreal
-- For the last central defender, I looked into Fernando Amorebieta, Álvaro Domínguez and David Navarro.
-- Fernando Amorebieta was a top defender in La Liga.  Vicente Del Bosque called him up in 2008, but he did not play and remained uncapped for Spain.  In real life, he would switch to play for Venezuela in 2011, but in 2010, he was still eligible to play for Spain. Álvaro Domínguez turned 21 at the time of the World Cup Finals.  He was with the Under 21 national team.  In Atletico Madrid, he alternated between the leftback and centreback position that season.  Given that I might need an extra leftback, he was a great prospect for a spot on the team, but I did not know enough about him at that point in his career. David Navarro took the captaincy in Valencia that year, but it was not his best season.  He was also known for his rough play.  He tended to receive a lot of cards.  In 2007, he was given a lengthy ban for his role in the brawl between Valencia and Inter Milan.  Liked Amorebieta, he was called up by Del Bosque (after the 2010 World Cup Finals), but he never played for Spain. The team already had another rough player in Sergio Ramos.  So I had considered that as a factor in choosing the last centerback. Pablo Ibáñez did not play much the season with Atletico Madrid.  He had not played for Spain since 2008. In the end, I took Fernando Amorebieta. He was also the type of players who received a lot of cards, but David Navarro was rougher of the two. Amorebieta was remembered for his "kick" against Lionel Messi' face in 2009.  In the summer of 2010, Rubin Kazan also offered Athletic Bilbao 12 million euros for Amorebieta, but his club refused.  He was a very valuable player at the time.
-- Alvaro Arbeloa was a natural rightback, but he alternated between rightback and leftback position for both Real Madrid and Spain because of Sergio Ramos.  Cesar Azpilicueta was the only fullback on the provisional team who did not made it to the actual World Cup Finals.  In 2010, he was an uncapped player who would turn 21 on August, 2010.  Andoni Iraola was also on the players' pool at the time.  He played a few times for Spain in this period. Jesus Navas would later become a wingback at the end of his career.  In 2010, I would not know if he would play in this position.  But with both Arbeloa and Ramos on the team, I did not need another rightback.
Alvaro Arbeloa
-- Joan Capdevila was one of the most used players for Spain under Vicente Del Bosque. He was the only leftback on the actual World Cup team as well as on the provisional team.  Vicente Del Bosque probably planned to use Arbeloa as the backup in South Africa.   
 -- Nacho Monreal was the only leftback used by Spain between the summer of 2009 and the World Cup Finals in 2010.  He was capped twice in that period and was selected as a backup for many games.  He would be the idea choice for this team.  At that point, he was ahead of Jordi Alba who would eventually replace Capdevila.  Alba himself already started for Valencia, but he is a Catalan player.  Antonio Lopez had not played for Spain since 2007.  He was the backup to Argentine Mariano Pernía for a few seasons in Atletico Madrid. But in the 2009-2010 season, Pernia had a serious injury while Atletico Madrid was converting Alvar Domínguez into a central defender. So Antonio Lopez became the main starter for them. He also captained them as they won the 2010 Europa Cup.  Fernando Navarro was born in Barcelona, which made him ineligible. 
-- I had 6 defenders. Each defensive position actually had enough players to cover, but Nacho Monreal was the only natural leftback on the team.  Fernando Amorebieta and Alvaro Arbeloa needed to serve as the backup leftback.  So I took Antonio Lopez over rightback Cesar Azpilicueta. He could also play as a rightback. I overlooked the fact that he had not played for Spain since 2007. 
Midfielders/Wingers
-- I needed to find a replacement for Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas.  
-- Marcos Senna, a key figure in Spain's triumph at Euro 2008, stood out as the sole starter from the Euro 2008 Final team against Germany who did not secure a spot in the actual World Cup Finals squad. Despite playing in the World Cup Qualifiers, concerns loomed over Senna's fitness leading up to the 2010 World Cup, as he battled injuries and was approaching 34 years of age by July 2010. Similarly, Santi Cazorla, another member of the Euro 2008 team and a player for Villarreal, faced fitness challenges, starting only nine games for Villarreal that season due to persistent injuries. Acknowledging their fitness issues, both Senna and Cazorla were omitted from the final selection, despite their initial inclusion in the provisional team.
Both were considered the big names being cut from the team. Instead, I took Boja Valero and Bruno Soriano.
-- That season, Boja Valero won Don Balón Award for the best Spanish player in the Spanish League.  He was the most underrated playmaker of that generation.  In real life, he was only capped once, largely because he was playing in the same era as some of Spain's greatest midfielders.  Bruno Soriano finally established himself in Villarreal that season.  He would later become the unsung hero of Villarreal's successes in that period.  If Valero or Bruno were born in a different generation, they would be a household name in the world of football.  The pair was my undisputed selections for the replacements.
Bruno Soriano
-- David Albelda was reduced to a bench role in Valencia.  Valencia used Marchena as a defensive midfielder over him.  His captain armband was given to David Navarro who was also in consideration for this team. 
--  The season was Francisco Yeste's last season in Athletic Bilbao.  He would move to play in UAE.  Joseba Etxeberria also retired at the end of the season. Xabi Prieto's Real Sociedad was playing in the lower division.  They gained promotion that season.  I did not know anything about him until after La Real returned to the Top Flight. He was not considered for this team.  I also looked  at Apoño (Málaga), but I knew nothing of him.
-- The last midfield (actually the 23rd spot) position was between Pablo Hernández, Sergio Canales and Mikel Arteta.  
 -- Pablo Hernández was on the 2009 Confederation Cup team.  Only three players from that team did not make it to the World Cup Finals.  The other two were Dani Güiza and Santi Cazorla, but they were on the provisional team. Pablo Hernández earned 4 caps between 2009 and 2010.  For Valencia, his playing time seemed to have been reduced for reasons that I did not know.
-- Racing Santander's Sergio Canales emerged as a future star of Spain that year.  He started his first La Liga game for Racing Club Santander in December, 2009, where he scored 2 goals.  By January, he had scored 4 goals in 5 starts. In February of 2010, he was signed by Real Madrid for the following season.  He was hyped up by the media as a potential call up for the national team.  In 2010, I could not predict that he would suffer several serious injuries within the next few seasons and his career had many setbacks.  As of November, 2022, he only had a single cap and it happened in 2019.  In 2010, however, he was a serious candidate for the World Cup team.
-- In real life, Mikel Arteta was not given any chance with the Spanish national team.  He was uncapped at the senior level. However, without the Catalan players, he might have more chances with Spain.  He returned to the starting lineup in Everton in January, 2010 after out injured for a year.  According to various reports, his form was sensational after his return. He came from the youth ranks of Barcelona, but he was a Basque making him eligible for this team.
-- Ultimately, I went with Mikel Arteta.  Sergio Canales was too young in 2010 while I was not familiar with Pablo Hernández's status at that point.  Arteta in general was a more famous player.  However, my decision might have been influenced by the English media.  The Premiership players tended to get overrated by the English language sources.  It was believed that Arteta would have been selected by Spain in 2009, but an injury forced him out of the team. Meanwhile, Pablo Hernández received 4 caps during the period when Arteta was injured.
-- Pedro Leon helped Getafe to qualify for Europa Cup that season. He was awarded on one of La Liga Team of the Season selections, I found.  He was 23 years old.  In 2010, expectations were high for him.  But since I already had Jesus Navas, I left him off the squad.  Jesus Navas appeared in three matches in South Africa, including the last 30 minutes plus extra time in the final against the Netherlands. He won the best midfielder player award at the La Liga Award that year alongside Xavi. 
Jesus Navas
-- I pinpointed the left side of the team being weak.  I only carried a single leftback Nacho Monreal. I have decided to start the left midfielder position with either David Silva or Andres Iniesta.  I would have prefer a natural left winger on the team. Jose Antonio Reyes' peak years were with Arsenal around 2006.  However, his career rejuvenated that season.   He helped Atletico Madrid to win the Europa League and the Copa del Rey. In real life, he never recalled to the national team in this period. Iker Muniain was a teenage sensational.  That season, he became the youngest player to score in a first division match when he scored against Real Valladolid at aged 16 years and 289 days.  But I was not going to use a spot for a fresh teenage boy.  Joan Verdú of Espanyol was born in Barcelona.  Diego Capel lost his starting position to Diego Perotti in Sevilla, but he was starting toward the end of the season.  He was 21 years old at the time of the World Cup.  He was playing mainly for the Under 21 team, but he already featured once in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2008 as a 20 years old. Albert Crusat of UD Almería had a great season, but he was also from Barcelona.  Albert Riera only played a few times for Liverpool that season. He had some issues with then Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.  So none of the left wing candidates seemed right.  So I stayed with an extra attack midfielder.
Forwards
-- No Catalan player came from the forward position. Nevertheless, I did look at other forward for a possible inclusion.
-- The season was Raul's last year with Real Madrid.  He only scored 7 goals that year.  His output was one of his lowest in his career.  I did not think it would be a good idea to bring him back to the national team.  His career would rejuvenate the season after with Schalke 04, but I could not "predict" the future in the summer of 2010. 
-- Roberto Soldado scored 18 goals in La Liga that season.  He was two goals ahead of Fernando Llorente and tied with Zlatan Ibrahimović who did not enjoy his season with Barcelona.  However, he was absent from the national team in this period.  Both Daniel Guiza and Alvaro Negredo were on the provisional team.  Bojan Krkic was only 20 years old.  He was still highly rated at that point. He scored 8 goals in the last 12 games of the season. But I did not see an urgent need for another forward.  I already had David Villa, Fernando Torres, Fernando Llorente and Pedro.  The last and 23rd spot went to an attack midfielder (see the midfielder above).
Fernando Llorente and Pedro
Formation
This forward line had the same pool of players as the actual World Cup team in South Africa.  In South Africa, Vicente Del Bosque only started David Villa and Fernando Torres together three times.  In the Final or semi-final, Pedro was their starter.  In South Africa, David Silva only played in two games, starting the first game against Switzerland.  He was also a different type of midfielders as Xavi. In 2010, Sergio Ramos had not developed as a top central defender yet.  He played as the rightback in South Africa, but he started to play central defender in Madrid.  I reunited him with his club mates Raul Albiol who started many games because of Pepe's injury.  In Real Madrid, the pair played together with Alvaro Arbeloa.









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