Barcelona forward Ansu Fati’s inclusion in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar seemed to be a major doubt up until the very last moments before the squad was announced. Former manager of FC Barcelona and then manager of the Spanish National squad, Luis Enrique, would go on to include the youngster in his final list of 26 players.
Within that list, several players missed out that most would believe should have been there. The likes of Sergio Ramos and David De Gea were both excluded from the final edition of the squad. Yet the inclusion of Ansu Fati was also not without criticism. His inclusion amongst the forwards meant the exclusion of Real Beti’s center forward Borja Iglesias, who was arguably having a much more impressive season.
As resurfaced by MARCA, Luis Enrique had an interview with popular twitch streamer Ibai Llanos in December of last year, where the Spanish manager was quite open about various topics when questioned about them.
When asked by the streamer if he had any regrets following the World Cup, the manager would go on to state that he regretted the inclusion of one player who he had doubts about until the last minute, and also regretted not having brought another in his stead.
While not an explicit statement, it is heavily implied and being stated by the Madrid-based MARCA as well, that the player in question was Ansu Fati. They state that the Spanish manager and his technical staff were not impressed by the youngster in training and this resulted in him being the second least-played player during the tournament, above only Pablo Sarabia.
Yet if there were any doubts that Enrique’s comments were about Sarabia, they become quickly dismissed as Enrique would also state separately and explicitly that not playing Sarabia as much was also a regret of his.
This particular interview being resurfaced by MARCA could not come at a more unfortunate time for the youngster. In recent days, the controversial comments made by his father regarding his situation and future have caused massive disturbance and backlash. While the player reportedly does not agree with his father, he continues to ponder whether he should make a public statement or not to counter and clarify that his father’s words are not his.
