Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal has credited teamwork, mutual trust and coach Luis de la Fuente’s long-standing relationships with his players for the national team’s success, insisting that football is about much more than individual performances.
The 29-year-old Real Sociedad captain, who scored the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final against England, has also emerged as one of Spain’s leading players on the international stage. He finished the 2026 World Cup as La Roja’s top scorer with five goals, further underlining his importance to the team.
In an interview with El País, Oyarzabal discussed the collective mentality behind Spain’s achievements, his relationship with De la Fuente, the importance of off-the-ball movement and the challenges of managing young talents such as Lamine Yamal.
De la Fuente’s relationships have helped build Spain’s success
Oyarzabal believes Spain’s recent achievements are the result of years of work to establish a team-first mentality, with individual talent placed at the service of the collective.
“Nothing is accidental. It’s what we’ve built up over all these years,” he said. “A team, a group of players who prioritise the collective: putting their best individual qualities at the service of the team, not the other way around.”
He also highlighted the importance of De la Fuente’s familiarity with the players, many of whom he has known for nearly a decade.
According to Oyarzabal, those longstanding relationships have helped create trust and made it easier for the squad to recover from setbacks. The same dynamic applies between teammates, he said, with a positive atmosphere encouraging players to make sacrifices for one another.
“When that bond of trust and empathy is built up over so many years, it gives you an extra impetus,” he explained.
Why sometimes the best move is not to touch the ball
Oyarzabal has previously spoken about the importance of knowing when not to get involved in a passage of play. He reiterated that idea, explaining how off-the-ball movement can create opportunities for teammates.
“Often, the best thing you can do is not touch the ball — don’t get in the way of the players who are supposed to receive it or those who have it,” he said.
He pointed out that players spend only a small fraction of a match actually in possession, with the rest of their time devoted to running, positioning and supporting their teammates.
“A game lasts 90 minutes, and at most you’ll have the ball at your feet for a minute, two minutes at the very most. The rest of the game you’re running, you’re doing things for the rest of your teammates.”
His understanding of the game, he said, was shaped by his early football education at Eibar and Real Sociedad, as well as periods spent watching matches from the sidelines during injury lay-offs. Being unable to play gave him a different perspective on the sport and helped him appreciate the contributions that often go unnoticed.
He also recalled how much he missed the everyday routines of professional football while injured, from training alongside teammates to travelling together to matches.
Lamine Yamal’s talent and the importance of staying grounded
As one of Spain’s senior players, Oyarzabal also discussed his role in helping younger teammates, particularly 19-year-old Lamine Yamal.
He said there was little he could teach the Barcelona winger about what he does on the pitch, given the natural talent and creativity that define his game. Instead, Oyarzabal believes experienced players can offer more useful guidance away from football.
His advice to Yamal centres on keeping perspective, maintaining composure and remembering that football is also a business.
“He’s 19 and lives life to the full. He experiences soccer intensely too,” Oyarzabal said. “With time you’ll perhaps realise a bit more what soccer is. That it’s a business and you have to do what you love. Do what you believe in at each moment and that’s it. Don’t lose your mind.”
Oyarzabal also joked about the energetic personalities of Yamal and fellow young international Nico Williams, saying he enjoys watching them but was unsure whether he could put up with their antics for an entire year.
Individual recognition takes a back seat to team achievements
Despite scoring five goals at the 2026 World Cup, Oyarzabal was not included on the 30-player shortlist for the Ballon d’Or. He said the omission did not bother him, explaining that he already feels appreciated and highly valued.
He also described himself as uncomfortable with self-promotion, despite having studied business administration and having the opportunity to earn more through social media.
Oyarzabal said he had chosen to focus on finance rather than marketing during his studies and had little interest in turning himself into an online personality.
“It wouldn’t suit me. I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it, and I’d enjoy it much less than I do now,” he said.
He nevertheless enjoys seeing the different personalities and approaches to life of younger players, even if he prefers to keep his own public profile relatively low-key.
Spain’s winning mentality and the challenge of staying unbeaten
With Spain having gone 38 competitive matches without defeat, Oyarzabal said the team was focused on continuing to compete rather than dwelling on past achievements.
He described the demands of elite football as a constant cycle in which every victory is quickly followed by the next challenge.
“You’re on a treadmill: there’s nothing else to do but to keep competing,” he said, adding that winning a tournament or match in the past offers no guarantee of success in the next one.
He also acknowledged that the longer a team goes without losing, the closer it gets to another defeat, but said Spain remained confident in its approach.
“The more you win, the closer the next defeat is. Hopefully we can keep going like this for a long time. We believe we’re on the right path.”
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