Martin Zubimendi labelled world’s second best player in position despite one World Cup appearance

Spain boss Luis de La Fuente heralded Martin Zubimendi as the ‘second best’ midfielder on the planet.

Speaking to Spanish broadcaster RTVE, De la Fuente made the bold claim during a passionate defence of Rodri.

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“With all due respect, and I don’t mean to offend anyone, I said that doubting Rodri was an insult to football intelligence, obviously,” De la Fuente said.

“He’s the best player in the world in his position, knowing that we have Martin Zubimendi behind him, who is also another great player, surely the second best in the world.

“But we knew we had to follow a process and the deadlines we had set.

“He improved game by game, and the fact is that Rodri, even at 50 per cent, is better than many other players.”

How much did Zubimendi play at the World Cup?

Despite anointing Zubimendi with such an accolade, De la Fuente only let the midfielder loose on just one occasion at the World Cup.

That came in the form of a 21-minute appearance off the bench in the final against Argentina, which La Roja won 1-0 courtesy of Ferran Torres’ strike in extra time.

But for every other match, Zubimendi remained an unused substitute.

Instead, De la Fuente’s midfield triumvirate featured a combination of Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Pedri and Dani Olmo.

Zubimendi’s Arsenal teammate Mikel Merino was the only one outside of the regular midfield quartet to have made a start, which came in Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay to round out the group stage.

De la Fuente’s midfield selections were vindicated in the best way possible though as Spain reclaimed the World Cup for the first time in 16 years.

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Pivotal to La Roja’s charge was Rodri, who was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.

Ruiz, who only started four of Spain’s eight matches, also caught the eye, with his performances rocketing him into contention for the Ballon d’Or.

De la Fuente drops major hint over future as Spain boss

But most of the praise belonged to De la Fuente, who has now led Spain to three major titles in his tenure thanks to their Nations League triumph in 2023 and Euro 2024 success over England.

And the 65-year-old, who has only lost just three of his 49 matches in charge of the national team, admitted he could be willing to stick around for the 2030 World Cup, which Spain will co-host alongside Portugal and Morocco, with games also to be held in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

“A while ago, a journalist asked me this question, ‘Luis, would you like to be at the World Cup in Spain,'” De la Fuente said.

“Don’t put it in the headline, but if you ask me., how could I not like it?

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“It’s the greatest honour a coach can have, to be the manager of your country, to lead the Spanish national team. How could I not like it?

“I’m also very short-term thinking, and I’m focused on the matches we have in September and October. The next World Cup seems a long way off.”

De la Fuente’s side return to action following their World Cup triumph against England in a Nations League clash at Wembley on September 26.