Eric Garcia.. From a Key Player with Flick to a Substitute with De la Fuente

Eric Garcia, the Barcelona defender, continues to wait for his first appearance with the Spanish national team in the 2026 World Cup, having remained on the bench in the match against Uruguay, which ended with a 1-0 victory for the Spanish team, securing their spot in the round of 32, without the player getting any minutes during the group stage matches.

The Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" pointed out that Garcia's situation with the national team is entirely different from what he delivered with Barcelona last season. He played 3,955 minutes under coach Hans Flick, making him the third most participating player in all competitions, behind Juan Garcia and Pau Cubarsi, thanks to his outstanding performance and ability to occupy more than one position.

The newspaper added that Luis de la Fuente has so far relied on the duo Pau Torres and Aymeric Laporte in central defense, while Marcos Llorente and Pedro Porro have alternated in the right-back position, which has kept Eric Garcia out of consideration for the first three matches of the tournament.

The newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" pointed out that Garcia had previously joined the Spanish national team roster for the 2022 World Cup under the leadership of Luis Enrique, but he also did not participate in any match, leaving him still waiting to make his first World Cup appearance. He confirmed in an interview with the same newspaper his ambition to seize any opportunity to contribute to the team in future stages.