Four Villarreal players called up to Spain national team

Great news for Villarreal players Gerard Moreno, Santi Cazorla, Pau Torres and Raul Albiol as they have been called up to represent Spain in their upcoming Euro 2020 matches. Spain will play Norway October 12th and Sweden October 15th.

For Pau Torres, it’s been a whirlwind week. He signed a new contract earlier this week and now he receives his first international callup—in fact, he becomes the first native of Vila-real to receive one.

Gerard Moreno receives his first senior callup, as well. He has played for Catalonia’s unofficial “national team” but this is his first time with Spain.

Santi Cazorla has 78 international caps; his first was in 2008 and he was a member of the squad that won the Euros that year. He received regular calls to the Spanish side but missed the 2010 World Cup through injury. This callup is his second since returning to Villarreal; he played 90 minutes against the Faroe Islands in June and didn’t play against Sweden.

Raul Albiol has 52 caps, the first coming in 2007. He was a member of the Spain squads that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, and like Santi played regularly for La Roja until 2015. His callup in September 2018 to Spain’s Nations League side represented a return to international action for him, and now he receives his first callup as a member of Villarreal.

This is not the most players Villarreal has put on a Spain national team, but it’s close. The Spain side that Vicente del Bosque chose for friendlies against the USA and Venezuela in June 2011 had five: Santi Cazorla (who would move to Malaga in late July of that year), Joan Capdevila, Bruno Soriano, Borja Valero, and Carlos Marchena. I was fortunate enough to see that side defeat the USA 4-0, with Santi scoring two goals, and it was a very proud moment indeed.

Congratulations to all four!!!