MIKEL Oyarzabal was standing over the penalty. It was the delayed Copa del Rey final in April 2021. The Real Sociedad forward knew the weight of this moment. His club, his only club since joining their youth team as a child, hadn't won a major trophy in over 35 years. The 23-year-old, then, had the chance to end more than three decades of pain and agony. He stepped up and buried the penalty. Thirty minutes later, La Real lifted the trophy to end the wait.
Oyarzabal was standing over the penalty, this time in the semifinal of the World Cup. That moment, right there, was Spain. On that pitch were former Champions League winners, a former D'Or winner as well as Lamine Yamal, the youngster touted to take over from Lionel Messi. Yet, it was a 29-year-old who had never played for Real Madrid or Barcelona who was tasked with delivering the first blow for Spain against France. It was never in doubt.
In Spain, they call Oyarzabal a 'shark'. "For Spain," David Villa, their record goalscorer, said on a podcast early this month, "the people know that he's one of the best of the best. The problem is he plays for Real Sociedad. He doesn't play the Champions League. He combines very well playing the middle of the centre-backs. He's a shark, you know?" In this context, it's because of his predatory instincts inside the opposition penalty area and just his ability to scope out danger. He's always on hand to knit passing moves. If he's not putting the finishing touch, he's the decoy, like he was when Pedro Porro finished off a flowing team move.
It's what has helped him to five goals for Spain in their run to the final of the World Cup. He joins a list of only two other players to have scored five or more at a single tournament (Emilio Butragueno and Villa). That's some company for the forward to keep. Zoom out and you will realise he's been the one scoring the goals during this period for them; he, of course, struck the winning goal for them against England in the final of the Euros two years ago. Even though he had made his debut for the seleccion a decade ago, he has nailed down that problem position at centre-forward only a few years ago, after Luis de la Fuente was appointed as head coach.
In 34 games for Spain since June 2024, he has netted 23 times. So what makes him such a lethal finisher, especially when he doesn't have the pace that some of the other top strikers have in abundance? Intelligence. "He was a very intelligent player," Luki Iriarte, Real Sociedad's director of football education, had told FIFA earlier this month. "Every time the ball came to him, he was capable of creating something and making the most of his qualities. He was a player who would start wide and come inside, using his skill, intelligence and link-up play to add quality to the team's attack. He has always had goals in him, but we didn't see him as an out-and-out striker. We saw him as a future first-team player, but not with the qualities he's got now. We never imagined he would become a number 9 and score so many goals for Real Sociedad and Spain."
It has taken a few years, but Spain will not swap their No. 9. One only needs to look at a few examples to come to this conclusion. According to statistics put out by FIFA, Oyarzabal ranks 4th for ‘offers in behind’ — "when a player has actively signalled, changed body shape or made a clear movement to receive the ball in behind the opposition's defensive line" — with 142 such movements (for context, Kylian Mbappe is the leader with 164). It's movements like this that have pleased De La Fuente. "For me, he's one of the best forwards at playing in space, between the lines... Very few footballers have that understanding of the game,” the coach had said during the group stages.
"You have to know how to stay grounded, and he does. He's calm and composed. He impresses me more every day."
It's remarkable that the 29-year-old, who continues to be without an agent, has remained at one club for over 15 years, but that's Oyarzabal. "If he hasn't been sold," the Guardian had noted, "he has never sold himself."
Why bother with selling yourself when you can let your football do the talking?