Top 10 players missing from Spain's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad

The La Roja lifted the trophy in 2010.

A little over a week remains for the FIFA World Cup to kick-off in Qatar. Spain are are among the favourites for the World Cup with their squad stacked with superstars and talents. La Roja have the talent and experience to do well in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. And Luis Enrique's metamorphosis of Spain is almost complete.

Spain's early exits from the 2014 World Cup (group stages) and from the 2018 edition in Russia proved how tough it was to move on from their "golden generation". However, given the squad coach Enrique has picked for the World Cup, Spain should be a serious contender.

Based on their performances in World Cup qualification and friendlies last year, the players (below) should have been on the World Cup shortlist. But lets take a look at why these 10 players are missing from Spain's squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022.

10. Gerard Moreno

Two Villarreal players have been named in Spain's 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, but Gerard Moreno has been left out. Luis Enrique has chosen both pau Torres and Yeremy Pino to compete in Qatar, as predicted, but Gerard is a surprise absentee.

The forward has been a regular under Luis Enrique in recent years, scoring five goals in 17 appearances for La Roja. But at 30, it appears that his career will end without a World Cup experience.

9. Thiago Alcantara

Thiago Alcantara is one of the major stars left out of Spain's 2022 FIFA World Cup roster. Luis Enrique has chosen a youthful lineup that includes Pedri and Gavi, while attacker Ansu Fati will compete in his first big competition.

Thiago has been one of Liverpool's top players during their poor season, but he will not play in Qatar.

8. David de Gea

De Gea has not played for the Spanish national team since a 1-0 loss to Ukraine in the Nations League in 2020. Since then, the Manchester United goalkeeper has been banished to the bench for the whole 2021 season.

This year though, De Gea's standing has slipped even more. He has failed to make the national squad throughout the year as Spain prepared for the World Cup in Qatar. United's long-term goalkeeper has had a difficult season with the Reds underperforming.

7. Sergio Canales

Canales assisted Spain's under-17 team in winning the UEFA European Championship in Turkey in 2008. He made his under-21 debut at the age of 19 and scored twice in his first two games.

Canales was then named in the squad for the European Under-19 Championship in 2009. He was called up to the senior team on March 15, 2019, for two UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Norway and Malta. The 31-year-old made his debut eight days later, coming on as a 74th-minute substitute for Dani Ceballos in Spain's 2-1 win over Norway.

6. Nacho Fernandez

Nacho debuted for Spain in the under-17, under-19, and under-21 levels before being called up to the senior squad on 2 September 2013 for a friendly against Switzerland in place of the injured Inigo Martnez. He made his debut by then replacing Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos early in the second half in a 2-2 draw against Chile.

He was part of Spain's final World Cup squad for the 2018 edition in Russia. On 15 June, he scored his maiden goal for Spain, in a group stage match against Portugal, in a 3-3 draw. Unfortunately, he has been left out of Spain's FIFA World Cup 2022 squad.

5. Sergio Ramos

Ramos has fallen out of favour with Enrique and also missed the European Championships last year after an injury-plagued season. However, he has been a crucial component in PSG's defence this season. However, it appears that the 36-year-old might not play in another World Cup in his career.

When he made his Spain debut at 18 years and 361 days, Ramos was then the youngest player to play for Spain. That record was, however, rewritten a year later by Cesc Fabregas. During the 2004 U-19 Euro, he started four of their five matches as they won their second U-19 European Championship. Ramos scored his first goal in a 6-0 rout of San Marino in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

4. Iago Aspas

Aspas was named in the 23-man roster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He made his tournament debut on 15 June 2018, replacing Diego Costa, in Spain's 3-3 draw against Portugal. Ten days later he scored a last-minute equaliser to help his team draw 2-2 with Morocco. Courtesy the draw, Spain advanced to the knockout phase as group champions.

However, things turned bad as Aspas was one of two Spanish players to miss in the penalty shootout against Russia. Spain went on to lose the shootout 3-4 and were knocked out from the last 16. With Enrique picking Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati ahead of him, Aspas will not be part of Spain's World Cup squad.

3. Alejandro Balde

Alejandro Balde, born in Barcelona to Guinean and Dominican parents, joined Barca as an eight-year-old after rising through the ranks at Espanyol. He is from the 2003 generation, although he's always played a year or two older. Balde has won the league at the U-10 A, B, and C levels, the U-12 A and C levels, the U-14 A and B levels, and the A-16 A and B levels. He now plays for Barca B rather than the U-19B squad.

Balde has also represented Spain in the under-20 category, but did not make the World Cup roster with Jordi Alaba Enrique's first-choice left-back.

2. Isco Alarcon

On 15 November 2014, Isco scored his first international goal for Spain in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Belarus resulting in a 3-0 win.

Isco got his first hat-trick for Spain on March 27, 2018, in a 6-1 friendly win over Argentina. He was named in Spain's final squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Isco scored his only goal in the last group-stage encounter against Morocco, which ended in a 2-2 tie.

His goal aided the team's advancement to the second round as group winners. Isco was left out of Spain's 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020 in May 2021. And has now failed to make it to the World Cup 2022 squad.

1. Inigo Martinez

Martinez made his senior team debut on 14 August 2013 in a 2-0 friendly win over Ecuador. He received eleven caps, including seven starts, between September 2018 and March 2021. However, he was not included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. Inigo said that he was not completely satisfied with his physical situation after missing a number of club matches during the season and that an agreement had been made between him, the national team and the club.

Martnez scored his first international goal in the UEFA Nations League on 5 June 2022, a last-minute header in a 2-2 away tie against the Czech Republic. He has, however, not been named in Spain's World Cup squad.