Costa and Torres miss out on Spain's EURO squad
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
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Diego Costa, Fernando Torres, Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata are among the high-profile names to have missed out on Vicente del Bosque's provisional squad for UEFA EURO 2016.
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Atlético Madrid midfielder Saúl Ñiguez and Real Madrid's Lucas Vázquez, both uncapped, are the surprise inclusions in Spain's provisional squad for UEFA EURO 2016.
Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been left out of the squad by Vicente del Bosque having suffered a hamstring injury towards the end of the season. Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla, who returned on the final day of the Premier League season after nearly six months on the sidelines with knee ligament damage, also misses out.
"We've evaluated the situation and we didn't want to have an overload of players who were in an uncertain situation; we preferred not to bring them," said Roja coach Del Bosque.
Fernando Torres, adidas Golden Boot winner at UEFA EURO 2012, is not included despite seven goals in his last 11 appearances for Atlético. Other notable absentees include Valencia's Paco Alcácer – Spain's top scorer in qualifying with five goals – Juan Mata of Manchester United and Bayern München's Javi Martínez.
Athletic Club striker Aritz Aduriz, who recently recorded his best ever goals tally at the age of 35, and Villarreal's Bruno Soriano have made the cut.
There is also an 11-man reserve list made up primarily of youth-team players not expected to be involved in the final tournament.
Provisional Spain squad for UEFA EURO 2016
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David de Gea (Manchester United), Sergio Rico (Sevilla).
Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Marc Bartra (Barcelona), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Mikel San José (Athletic Club), Juanfran (Atlético Madrid).
Midfielders: Bruno Soriano (Villarreal), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Koke (Atlético Madrid), Thiago Alcântara (Bayern), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City), Isco (Real Madrid), Pedro Rodríguez (Chelsea), Cesc Fábregas (Chelsea), Saúl Ñíguez (Atlético Madrid).
Forwards: Aritz Aduriz (Athletic Club), Nolito (Celta Vigo), Álvaro Morata (Juventus), Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid).
Spain's Group D fixtures
13/06: Spain v Czech Republic (Toulouse)
17/06: Spain v Turkey (Nice)
21/06: Croatia v Spain (Bordeaux)