Barcelona midfielder Gavi has admitted he was full of nerves before Luis de la Fuente announced his Spain squad
for World Cup 2026 as he wasn’t convinced he would make the cut.Gavi returned from a serious knee injury at the back end of the season for Barcelona but did enough to secure a spot in La Roja’s squad.
Lamine Yamal showed Gavi’s joyful reaction to being called up on social media and the midfielder admitted he felt a “rush of happiness.”
“The truth is that I was quite nervous, I didn’t want
to see the call-up,” he told the media.
“Lamine told me to watch it with him there and we saw it together with the physios and when I heard my name it was a rush of happiness. Representing Spain in the World Cup is one of the greatest things there is. Going to my second World Cup is a source of pride.”
Gavi also spoke about when he found out he was going to be out for much longer than he had expected after his knee operation.
“After the operation the doctor told me that I was going to be there for four or five months,” he added.
“Even the doctor had to leave because I was going to explode. Football is the best there is, but I know there are injuries that can easily end your career. I’ve always had that ambition in my head.
“I was clear that if I came back very well from the injury and gave the level I have given in the important games, I was sure that I would come.”
Gavi featured for Spain a warm-up against Iraq on Thursday and will be hoping for more minutes on Tuesday against Peru.
