We have to talk about Mikel Oyarzabal. Not because he wants us to, but because his left foot and his calm head have left us with no choice. While the...
We have to talk about Mikel Oyarzabal. Not because he wants us to, but because his left foot and his calm head have left us with no choice. While the rest of Spain's attacking talent preens for the cameras and dazzles with stepovers, Oyarzabal has always been the shadow in the corridor. The forward who arrives late into the box, finishes with the minimum of fuss, and then goes home without a quote. Yet here he is, at 29, dragged into the centre of the conversation by the very thing he tried to avoid: his own goals.His second strike against Austria in Los Angeles was the kind of finish that separates the genuine article from the flashy pretenders. A half yard of space, a glance up, and a low, precise drive into the far corner. No unnecessary backlift, no showboating. Just clinical finishing born of repetition and nerve. After the match, the cameras found something almost more human than the goal itself. Lamine Yamal's little brother, Keyne, was caught celebrating in the stands, fists pumping. And just below him, a blonde woman in sunglasses, clapping politely. A Spanish commentator jokingly complained she had ruined the perfect photo. But Borja Iglesias, the striker with a sharp eye for detail and a sharper wit, shot back: "The blonde in front has given you two goals today, my friend." That woman was Dorleta, Oyarzabal's mother.Two days later, in a Dallas training session, GoalZaza asked Oyarzabal if he had seen the footage. He shrugged, probably. Because that is the point. He does not seek the limelight. It finds him. And it finds him because Spain's tactical flexibility now relies on a man who can play off the left, drift inside, and score across both feet. In a side full of teenage wonders and flashy technicians, Oyarzabal offers something older and more durable: reliability. He is the quiet man in the loud room, the player who solves problems without making noise about it.So let us stop pretending he is a bit. part actor in this Spanish opera. The numbers do not lie. Four goals in one tournament at this level is a statement. His mum might be trying to hide in the stands, but Mikel Oyarzabal is no longer hiding on the pitch. And for a Spain side that sometimes overcomplicates the simple things, having a man who just gets on with it might be the most valuable asset of all.
