Let’s talk about Mikel Oyarzabal: The quiet Spanish man forced to appear | 2026 World Cup

WI have to talk about Mikel Oyarzabal. When Spain scored the third goal against Austria in Los Angeles, the cameras caught the younger brother of Lamine Yamal celebrating, fists were clenched shouting “come on!”. The picture couldn’t be more perfect, and not just because Keyne is impossibly handsome. Even the obvious imperfections were it’s okay. In the bottom row, clapping and hiding a three-year-old child, was a woman wearing sunglasses, prompting a Spanish TV host to write: “The blonde in front has denied us the best.” a sticker each time.” Striker Borja Iglesias replied: “The white man in front gave you two goals today, my friend.”

It turns out that the blonde woman is Oyarzabal’s mother: her name is Dorleta and it was her son who had just scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the tournament. Two days later, after a while The Seleccion After their first training session in Dallas, Marca asked Oyarzabal if he had seen the video.

“Yes,” he said, “[Keyne] it’s almost like the picture itself when you look at everything that has happened in the last few years and the way Lamine has passed.” I unlike me he left without saying; with Oyarzabal, many things do. He’s not an icon and he really doesn’t want to be. People tend not to talk about him, which is the way he likes it.

However, things are changing. Terms change the conversation; and there have been many from Oyarzabal recently. The coach’s campaign will not be painful, as Luis de la Fuente tries to correct the mistake. In the press conference before facing Uruguay, where one question included the name of Oyarzabal, the Spanish head coach seized the opportunity, started his answer with “thank you” and focused on his No 21. A few minutes later there was another one, this time directly by a Real Sociedad striker, and De la Fuente ended his response by saying “thank you” again, grateful that a little justice was done.

“Mikel Oyarzabal said: finally, finally, we are getting to know him in Spain. Madre mia! Finally,” the Spanish coach had begun. Oyarzabal, he said, was “great among the champions”, which is true: the first six names in the table of the best scorers in the World Cup are Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and Oyarzabal. Five stars and … well, him.

This whole “player is under” thing can be overplayed, it’s a tired trope. Recognition comes for a reason, sometimes even deserved, and lack of celebration is not always a fault. There are times when the understatement ends up being almost a way to get over the player, another quality to add to the equation. However with Oyarzabal there is something to that. He is 29 years old and until recently was rarely mentioned, except in San Sebastián, where he captained Real Sociedad.

That’s part of the reason. Oyarzabal has lifted two Copa del Rey titles with la Real – 50% of all the cups he has won – and scored in both finals. But it’s la Real, so there’s no reception and limited chances to win. There has never been talk of a transfer to open up interest, which in itself is interesting: Oyarzabal came through the Real Sociedad academy, his buyout clause is only 75 million euros – lower-level players have demanded much more – but there have never been any rumors. Partly because Oyarzabal, who has no agent and is happy at home, has never fed.

That is his way; if not sold, he did not sell himself; After the match in Austria he was asked how he felt about being next to Mbappé and Messi. “I don’t care,” he said, and rightly so. He has a good line in deadpan, he is not bothered by noise. There is not the slightest hint of arrogance. Asked how it felt that the AI’s question about the best strikers brought back Mbappé, Kane and Haaland but not him, he replied: “Well, they are the best.”

Oyarzabal says that one thing he has to do as a striker is not to disturb him. Not false modesty, real analysis. It may also be among the reasons why he has not been seen all the time: he does not want to be, out of the field or in it. He looks calm and normal, everything is done without fuss, he is not big and fast, he does not pass anyone, he hits them from 40 yards or feels the desire to get involved for the sake of getting involved, to look for the ball by force; he does not have a clear checklist of immediately recognizable qualities. There is something less concrete about his game, more about timing and interpretation, playing for others.

He says: “Since I was young, I tried to understand the game and why things happen. “I learned that by not getting in the way you can help, there are times when by placing a certain position you help the team without even touching the ball, then it is to use the few you have.

De la Fuente says: “Mikel is a very intelligent person and you can see that on the pitch. He is one of the best strikers who go into space, between the lines, who cross the wing. He has played on the right side, on the left wing, as a second striker and as a central striker and he always plays well. those who understand football appreciate him a lot The Seleccion he is cruel.”

They do now, the numbers are very convincing. De la Fuente always believed in him. When he took over as coach, he made Oyarzabal one of the captains, looking for a common approach, based entirely on longevity. As Fabián Ruiz put it: “Mikel seems to be shy, but he is someone you listen to, because he always has a positive opinion.” There has been a change as well, coming from the wing with his team, Oyarzabal, who, due to the knee injury that forced him to miss the last World Cup, has become a forward player who is not a number 9 and is better at it. “People said there was no forward player; there was, if there was a different profile,” said De la Fuente. He played with Oyarzabal at Under-21 level.

When Oyarzabal entered the Euro 2024 final, he scored a goal. Indeed he did: he has scored in all the finals he has played. This time, it was a winner; it was also the beginning of a new era. Álvaro Morata made way, leaving Oyarzabal as the first choice in midfield. Last season was his season with the most goals for Real Sociedad, with 15 in the league. Since that goal against England in Berlin, he has been more directly involved in international goals than Mbappé, Messi, Ronaldo or Kane. Only Haaland is ahead. In the last 18 games for Spain, he has scored 17 goals and provided eight assists.

Four of those goals came in the US this summer in the biggest league, where they belong. Last week the boot company spoke about a striker they had never had before and they weren’t alone. “I celebrate the fact that we are talking about him, I really am, so thank you,” said De la Fuente.