Jose Gaya was injured ahead of the 2022 World Cup event. Alejandro Balde was then brought in to replace the Valencia defender.
Jose Gaya was on the list for Spain’s line-up when they beat Jordan 3-1 in a test match, Thursday (17/11/2022). He did not play, but a day later the official website of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) announced that he would replace the player with Balde, who is a Barcelona player.
“After it was confirmed that Jose Luis Gayá had to leave the Spanish national team camp due to injury, the coaching staff took the decision to replace him with Alejandro Balde,” the Spanish national team said in a statement.
Balde was actually at the U-21 Spanish national team training camp. He then had to immediately fly to Doha because the Matador Team needed replacement ammunition.
This is also Balde’s first call-up to the senior Spanish squad. Calling the 19-year-old player would certainly be a gamble for Luis Enrique considering that the World Cup was filled with experienced players.
Balde during this season has had many opportunities to play for Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona. He appeared 12 matches in LaLiga and four in the Champions League.
Spain started its first Group E match against Costa Rica, Wednesday (23/11/2022) evening WIB. On paper, La Furia Roja is the favorite to win.
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