Nickname(s) | La Rojita (The Little Red One) La Furia Roja (the red fury) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Association | Royal Spanish Football Federation (Real Federación Española de Fútbol – RFEF) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coach | Santi Denia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Captain | Bryan Gil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Most caps | Gerard Deulofeu (36) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top scorer | Gerard Deulofeu (17) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FIFA code | ESP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First international | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yugoslavia 4–1 Spain (Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 9 October 1976) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biggest win | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spain 14–0 San Marino (El Ejido, Spain; 8 February 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Netherlands 5–0 Spain (Utrecht, Netherlands; 16 February 1983) Records for competitive matches only. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UEFA U-21 Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 16 (first in 1982 ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Best result | Winners (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2019) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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The Spain national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita (The Little Red), [1] competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the Spain under-21 team was formed. Spain has a strong record (competition winners five times and runners-up twice); having consecutively won the 2011 and 2013 Championships. They hold the joint record with Italy for the most wins of the competition.
Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, Spain's brief record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown, though in actuality, Spain played only three competitive U-23 matches. The first was in the "under-23 Challenge", which they lost, while the next two were in a two-team qualification "group" for the 1972 competition (facing the Soviet Union team, they lost 2–1 at home then drew 1–1 away and failed to qualify. Spain did not enter a team in the other two U-23 competitions, but have been ever present in under-21 competitions).
Spain's youth development programs has been challenging the South American dominance in the FIFA U-17 World Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In fact, 20 of the Spanish 23-man squad that won the Euro 2008 came through the ranks of the youth teams; most of them had won titles at the youth level as well.
Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Qualifying Stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
1980 | Qualifying Stage | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
1982 | Quarter-Finals | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 |
1984 | Runners-up | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 11 |
1986 | Champions | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 9 |
1988 | Quarter-Finals | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
1990 | Quarter-Finals | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
1992 | Qualifying Stage | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
1994 | Third Place | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 9 |
1996 | Runners-up | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 14 |
1998 | Champions | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 6 |
2000 | Third Place | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 7 |
2002 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 9 |
2004 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 5 |
2006 | Qualifying Stage | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 8 |
2007 | Qualification Playoffs | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
2009 | Group Stage | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 7 |
2011 | Champions | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 8 |
2013 | Champions | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 5 |
2015 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 8 |
2017 | Runners-up | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 12 |
2019 | Champions | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 16 |
2021 | Semifinals | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 3 |
2023 | Runners-up | 13 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 10 |
2025 | Qualified | ||||||
Total | 15/23 | 238 | 170 | 34 | 34 | 502 | 169 |
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Spanish players have won individual awards at UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Year | Golden Player | Golden Boot |
---|---|---|
1986 | Manolo Sanchís | |
1998 | Francesc Arnau | |
2011 | Juan Mata | Adrián |
2013 | Thiago | Álvaro Morata |
2017 | Dani Ceballos | Saúl |
2019 | Fabián Ruiz |
Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Caps |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gerard Deulofeu | Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan | 2012–2017 | 36 |
2 | Borja Mayoral | Real Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Levante | 2015–2019 | 31 |
Jorge Meré | Sporting Gijón, FC Köln | 2015–2019 | 31 | |
Iker Muniain | Athletic Bilbao | 2011–2014 | 31 | |
5 | Dani Ceballos | Betis, Real Madrid | 2015–2019 | 29 |
6 | Santi Denia | Albacete, Atlético Madrid | 1992–1996 | 27 |
David de Gea | Atlético Madrid, Manchester United | 2009–2013 | 27 | |
8 | Diego Capel | Sevilla | 2007–2011 | 25 |
Mikel Oyarzabal | Real Sociedad | 2017–2019 | 25 | |
Saúl | Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano | 2013–2017 | 25 | |
Xavi | Barcelona | 1998–2001 | 25 |
Note:Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.
Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gerard Deulofeu | Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan | 2012–2017 | 17 |
2 | Borja Mayoral | Real Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Levante | 2015–2019 | 16 |
3 | Rodrigo | Benfica | 2011–2013 | 15 |
4 | Isco | Málaga, Real Madrid | 2011–2014 | 14 |
5 | Álvaro Morata | Real Madrid, Juventus | 2013–2014 | 13 |
6 | Óscar | Barcelona, Albacete | 1992–1996 | 12 |
7 | Munir | Barcelona | 2014–2016 | 10 |
8 | Pablo Couñago | Celta, Recreativo, Ipswich Town | 1999–2001 | 9 |
Adrián | Deportivo, Alavés, Málaga, Atlético Madrid | 2007–2011 | 9 | |
Saúl | Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano | 2013–2017 | 9 |
Note:Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.
Date | Competition | Location | Opponent |
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Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Spain | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 5 | +23 | 28 | Final tournament | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 6–0 | |
2 | Belgium | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 19 | Play-offs | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
3 | Scotland | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 11 | +8 | 16 [a] | 1–2 | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | ||
4 | Hungary | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 16 [a] | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | ||
5 | Kazakhstan | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 24 | −11 | 9 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 0–3 | — | 4–1 | ||
6 | Malta | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 35 | −31 | 0 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–3 | 0–2 | — |
The following players were called up for friendly matches against England and Denmark.
Caps and goals as of 19 November 2024, after the match against Denmark.
The following players have been called up within the last twelve months are still eligible for selection.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Pablo Cuñat | 28 April 2002 | 6 | 0 | Cartagena | v. England, 15 November 2024INJ |
GK | Álvaro Aceves | 26 July 2003 | 2 | 0 | Valladolid | v. Belgium, 26 March 2024 |
DF | José Ángel Carmona | 29 January 2002 | 2 | 0 | Sevilla | v. England, 15 November 2024INJ |
DF | Pau Cubarsí | 22 January 2007 | 2 | 0 | Barcelona | v. England, 15 November 2024 |
DF | Alejandro Francés | 1 August 2002 | 20 | 1 | Girona | v. Malta, 15 October 2024 |
DF | Hugo Novoa | 24 January 2003 | 13 | 1 | Alavés | v. Hungary, 10 September 2024INJ |
DF | Álvaro Carreras | 23 March 2003 | 9 | 0 | Benfica | v. Hungary, 10 September 2024 |
MF | Pablo Barrios | 15 June 2003 | 9 | 0 | Atlético Madrid | v. England, 15 November 2024 |
MF | Beñat Turrientes (captain) | 31 January 2002 | 23 | 5 | Real Sociedad | v. Malta, 15 October 2024 |
MF | Peque Fernández | 4 October 2002 | 2 | 1 | Sevilla | v. Malta, 15 October 2024 |
MF | Marc Casadó | 14 September 2003 | 1 | 0 | Barcelona | v. Malta, 15 October 2024 |
MF | Nico González | 3 January 2002 | 11 | 0 | Porto | v. Hungary, 10 September 2024 |
MF | Damián Rodríguez | 17 March 2003 | 0 | 0 | Celta Vigo | v. Hungary, 10 September 2024 |
MF | Fermín López | 11 May 2003 | 6 | 1 | Barcelona | v. Belgium, 26 March 2024 INJ |
MF | Unai Gómez | 25 May 2003 | 1 | 0 | Athletic Bilbao | v. Belgium, 26 March 2024 |
FW | Yeremay Hernández | 10 December 2002 | 2 | 0 | Deportivo La Coruña | v. Denmark, 19 November 2024INJ |
FW | Samu Aghehowa | 5 May 2004 | 11 | 6 | Porto | v. Malta, 15 October 2024 |
FW | Hugo Álvarez | 2 July 2003 | 2 | 0 | Celta Vigo | v. Malta, 15 October 2024 |
FW | Roberto Fernández | 3 July 2002 | 1 | 1 | Braga | v. Malta, 15 October 2024 |
FW | Fran Pérez | 9 September 2002 | 7 | 1 | Valencia | v. Belgium, 26 March 2024 |
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