Spain national under-21 football team

The Spain national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita (The Little Red [One]),[1] competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Spain Under-21
Nickname(s)La Rojita (The Little Red [One])
AssociationRoyal Spanish Football Federation
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachLuis de la Fuente
Most capsGerard Deulofeu (36)
Top scorerGerard Deulofeu (17)
FIFA codeESP
First colours
Second colours
First international
 Yugoslavia 4–1 Spain 
(Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 9 October 1976)
Biggest win
 Spain 14–0 San Marino 
(El Ejido, Spain; 8 February 2005)
Biggest defeat
 Netherlands 5–0 Spain 
(Utrecht, Netherlands; 16 February 1983)
Records for competitive matches only.
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances13 (first in 1982)
Best resultWinners (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2019)
The 2011 winning team

Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the Spanish under-21 team was formed. Spain has a fantastic record (competition winners five times and runners-up twice); having consecutively won the 2011 and 2013 Championships. They hold the joint record with Italy for the most wins of the competition.

Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, Spain's brief record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown, though in actuality, Spain played only three competitive U-23 matches. The first was in the "under-23 Challenge", which they lost, while the next two were in a two-team qualification "group" for the 1972 competition (facing the Soviet Union team, they lost 2–1 at home then drew 1–1 away and failed to qualify. Spain did not enter a team in the other two U-23 competitions, but have been ever present in under-21 competitions).

Spain's youth development programs has been challenging the South American dominance in the FIFA U-17 World Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In fact, 20 of the Spanish 23-man squad that won the Euro 2008 came through the ranks of the youth teams; most of them had won titles at the youth level as well.

Competitive record

UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record
Year Round GP W D* L GS GA
1978Qualifying Stage420258
1980Qualifying Stage412142
1982Quarter-Finals6501145
1984Runners-up105231111
1986Champions10712189
1988Quarter-Finals8422104
1990Quarter-Finals640254
1992Qualifying Stage732265
1994Third Place12921219
1996Runners-up1410313414
1998Champions111010216
2000Third Place141130317
2002Qualification Playoffs10613159
2004Qualification Playoffs10622175
2006Qualifying Stage10622378
2007Qualification Playoffs421184
2009Group Stage131012277
2011Champions151221318
2013Champions151410475
2015Qualification Playoffs10721258
2017Runners-up1711424413
2019Champions1513024516
Total14/222251573433476167

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

  • Gold background color indicates first-place finish. Silver background color indicates second-place finish. Bronze background color indicates third-place finish.
  • Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Individual awards

In addition to team victories, Spanish players have won individual awards at UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.

Year Golden Player Golden Boot
1986 Manolo Sanchís
1998 Francesc Arnau
2011 Juan Mata Adrián
2013 Thiago Álvaro Morata
2017 Dani Ceballos Saúl
2019 Fabián Ruiz

Player records

Top appearances
Rank Player Club(s) Year(s) U-21 Caps
1Gerard DeulofeuBarcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan2012–201736
2Borja MayoralReal Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Levante2015–201931
 Jorge MeréSporting Gijón, FC Köln2015–201931
 Iker MuniainAthletic Bilbao2011–201431
5Dani CeballosBetis, Real Madrid2015–201929
6Santiago DeniaAlbacete, Atlético Madrid1992–199627
 David de GeaAtlético Madrid, Manchester United2009–201327
8Diego CapelSevilla2007–201125
 Mikel OyarzabalReal Sociedad2017–201925
 SaúlAtlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano2013–201725
 XaviBarcelona1998–200125

Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.

Top goalscorers
Rank Player Club(s) Year(s) U-21 Goals
1Gerard DeulofeuBarcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan2012–201717
2Borja MayoralReal Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Levante2015–201916
3RodrigoBenfica2011–201315
4IscoMálaga, Real Madrid2011–201414
5Álvaro MorataReal Madrid, Juventus2013–201413
6ÓscarBarcelona, Albacete1992–199612
7MunirBarcelona2014–201610
8Pablo CouñagoCelta, Recreativo, Ipswich Town1999–20019
 AdriánDeportivo, Alavés, Málaga, Atlético Madrid2007–20119
 SaúlAtlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano2013–20179

Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.

  • Caps and goals correct as of 30 June 2019

Recent results
Date Competition Location Opponent Result Scorers
1 September 2017 Friendly Toledo, Spain  Italy 3–0 Merino  23', Mayoral  45+1', Meré  81'
5 September 2017 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 1–0 Soler  65'
10 October 2017 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Poprad, Slovakia  Slovakia 4–1 Merino  26', Oyarzabal  49', Rodri  56', Ceballos  69'
9 November 2017 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Murcia, Spain  Iceland 1–0 Fabián  36'
14 November 2017 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Cartagena, Spain  Slovakia 5–1 Ceballos  38', 55', 61', Córdoba  53', Mayoral  86'
22 March 2018 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Portadown, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 5–3 Oyarzabal  15', 44', Mayoral  47', 75', 84'
27 March 2018 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Ponferrada, Spain  Estonia 3–1 Fabián  8', Mayoral  37', 51'
6 September 2018 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Córdoba, Spain  Albania 3–0 Oyarzabal  5', Mayoral  56', Mir  90+2'
11 September 2018 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Albacete, Spain  Northern Ireland 1–2 Rafa Mir  90+2'
11 October 2018 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Tirana, Albania  Albania 1–0 Rafa Mir  84'
16 October 2018 2019 UEFA U-21 qualification Reykjavík, Iceland  Iceland 7–2 Oyarzabal  24' (pen.), Rafa Mir  25', 40', Gunnarsson  45+2' (o.g.), Carlos Soler  54' Mayoral  87', Fabián  90'
14 November 2018 Friendly Logroño, Spain  Denmark 4–1 Mayoral  25', 32', 55', Meré  45'
19 November 2018 Friendly Caen, France  France 1–1 Oyarzabal  10' (pen.)
21 March 2019 Friendly Granada, Spain  Romania 1–0 Merino  67'
25 March 2019 Friendly Algeciras, Spain  Austria 3–0 Soler  53', 61', Roca  81'
16 June 2019 2019 UEFA U-21 group stage Bologna, Italy  Italy 1–3 Ceballos  9'
19 June 2019 2019 UEFA U-21 group stage Reggio Emilia, Italy  Belgium 2–1 Olmo  7', Fornals  89'
22 June 2019 2019 UEFA U-21 group stage Bologna, Italy  Poland 5–0 Fornals  17', Oyarzabal  35', Fabián  39', Ceballos  71', Mayoral  90'
27 June 2019 2019 UEFA U-21 semifinals Reggio Emilia, Italy  France 4–1 Roca  28', Oyarzabal  45+5' (pen.), Olmo  47', Mayoral  66'
30 June 2019 2019 UEFA U-21 Final Udine, Italy  Germany 2–1 Fabián  7', Olmo  69'
6 September 2019 2021 UEFA U-21 qualification Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan  Kazakhstan 1–0 Olmo  28' (pen.)
10 September 2019 2021 UEFA U-21 qualification Castellón de la Plana, Spain  Montenegro 2–0 Olmo  3', 9'
10 October 2019 Friendly Córdoba, Spain  Germany 1–1 Manu García  10'
15 October 2019 2021 UEFA U-21 qualification Podgorica, Montenegro  Montenegro 2–0 Buñuel  34', Cucurella  62'
14 November 2019 2021 UEFA U-21 qualification Alcorcón, Spain  North Macedonia 3–0 Manu García  7', Serafimov  47' (o.g.), Pedrosa  87'
19 November 2019 2021 UEFA U-21 qualification Ramat Gan, Israel  Israel 1–1 Óscar  50'

Forthcoming fixtures
Date Competition Location Opponent
26 March 2020 2021 UEFA U-21 qualification TBD, Faroe Islands  Faroe Islands
31 March 2020 2021 UEFA U-21 qualification TBD, Spain  Kazakhstan

2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Group phase
Main article: 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 6
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 5 4 1 0 9 1 +8 13 Final tournament — 13 Oct TBD 3–0 2–0 8 Oct
2  Israel 4 2 2 0 6 3 +3 8 Final tournament if among five best runners-up 1–1 — 8 Sep TBD 0–0 3–1
3  Kazakhstan 5 2 1 2 7 6 +1 7[lower-alpha 1] 0–1 1–2 — 8 Oct 3 Sep 13 Oct
4  North Macedonia 4 2 1 1 10 6 +4 7[lower-alpha 1] 8 Sep TBD 1–1 — 13 Oct 7–1
5  Montenegro 6 1 1 4 5 8 −3 4 0–2 8 Oct 1–2 1–2 — 3–0
6  Faroe Islands 4 0 0 4 3 16 −13 0 TBD 2 Sep 1–3 TBD TBD —
Updated to match(es) played on 19 November 2019. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Tied on head-to-head points (1), goal difference (0), goals scored (1). Ranked on head-to-head away goals: Kazakhstan 1, North Macedonia 0.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification matches against North Macedonia and Israel on 14 and 19 November 2019.

Caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2019, after the match against Israel.
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Álvaro Fernández (1998-04-13) 13 April 1998 3 0 Huesca
13 1GK Josep Martínez (1998-05-27) 27 May 1998 0 0 Las Palmas
23 1GK Iñaki Peña (1999-03-02) 2 March 1999 0 0 Barcelona B
2 2DF Pedro Porro (1999-09-13) 13 September 1999 4 0 Valladolid
3 2DF Francisco Montero (1999-01-14) 14 January 1999 1 0 Deportivo de La Coruña
4 2DF Eric García (2001-01-09) 9 January 2001 5 0 Manchester City
5 2DF José Amo (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998 3 0 Sevilla
12 2DF Aitor Buñuel (1998-02-10) 10 February 1998 4 1 Racing Santander
17 2DF Marc Cucurella (Captain) (1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 5 1 Getafe
18 2DF Adrià Pedrosa (1998-05-13) 13 May 1998 4 1 Espanyol
19 2DF Enrique Clemente (1999-03-04) 4 March 1999 1 0 Zaragoza
6 3MF Manu Garcia (1998-01-02) 2 January 1998 3 2 Sporting Gijón
7 3MF Alejandro Pozo (1999-02-22) 22 February 1999 6 0 Sevilla
8 3MF Fran Beltrán (1999-02-03) 3 February 1999 7 0 Celta Vigo
10 3MF Óscar Rodríguez (1998-06-28) 28 June 1998 4 1 Leganés
14 3MF Pepelu (1998-08-11) 11 August 1998 3 0 Tondela
16 3MF Gonzalo Villar (1998-03-23) 23 March 1998 4 0 Elche
20 3MF Ferrán Torres (2000-02-29) 29 February 2000 6 0 Valencia
21 3MF Pol Lozano (1999-10-06) 6 October 1999 4 0 Espanyol
9 4FW Abel Ruiz (2000-01-28) 28 January 2000 3 0 Braga
11 4FW Andrés Martín (1999-07-11) 11 July 1999 6 0 Rayo Vallecano
15 4FW Ansu Fati (2002-10-31) 31 October 2002 2 0 Barcelona
22 4FW Sergio Gómez (2000-09-04) 4 September 2000 2 0 Huesca

Recent callups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and still eligible for 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Dani Martín (1998-07-08) 8 July 1998 3 0 Betis v.  Montenegro, 15 October 2019
DF Jorge CuencaINJ (1999-11-17) 17 November 1999 4 0 Barcelona B v.  Montenegro, 15 October 2019
DF Juan Miranda (2000-01-19) 19 January 2000 2 0 Schalke 04 v.  Montenegro, 15 October 2019
DF Gonzalo Ávila (1998-01-26) 26 January 1998 1 0 Espanyol v.  Montenegro, 15 October 2019
MF Dani Olmo (1998-05-07) 7 May 1998 14 6 RB Leipzig v.  Montenegro, 15 October 2019
MF Oihan Sancet (2000-04-15) 15 April 2000 1 0 Athletic Club v.  Montenegro, 15 October 2019
MF Carles Aleñá (1998-01-05) 5 January 1998 2 0 Betis v.  Montenegro, 10 September 2019
MF Manu Morlanes (1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 1 0 Villarreal v.  Montenegro, 10 September 2019
MF Oriol Busquets (1999-01-20) 20 January 1999 1 0 Twente v.  Montenegro, 10 September 2019
FW Dani Gómez (1998-07-30) 30 July 1998 2 0 Tenerife v.  Montenegro, 15 October 2019
FW Carles PérezINJ (1998-02-16) 16 February 1998 1 0 Roma v.  Germany, 10 October 2019
FW Javi Puado (1998-05-25) 25 May 1998 1 0 Espanyol v.  Montenegro, 10 September 2019
Notes
  • Players in italics are still active at international level.
  • INJ = Not part of the current squad due to injury.
  • PRE = Not part of the current squad but present in a preliminary list.

Former squads
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See also

Notes

    References
    1. "La sub 21 regresa al lugar donde nació el 'tiqui-taca'" [The under-21 team returns to the birthplace of tiki-taka] (in Spanish). MARCA. 2011-06-09.
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