Six matches into a tournament, and Martín Zubimendi still has not played a single minute. That is not a throwaway detail. It is a statement about how far Spain have gone without needing a player many expected to matter, and about how brutally selective Luis de la Fuente has been with his squad.
Spain have already played six games at the World 2026, from the 0-0 with Cabo Verde and the 4-0 against Arabia Saudí to the 0-1 loss to Uruguay, the 3-0 win over Austria, the 1-0 victory over Portugal in the round of 16 and Friday's 2-1 win over Bélgica. Yet by 11 Jul, six players from the 26-man list still had not seen the field: Zubimendi, Alejandro Grimaldo, Eric García, Víctor Muñoz, David Raya and Joan García. That is a remarkable number, especially this deep into the competition.
It also tells you something uncomfortable about the hierarchy. Luis de la Fuente has made his view crystal clear: Rodrigo Hernández is the faro of this team, the player he trusts most in that role, with Zubimendi regarded as the second-best option in the world there. In practice, that has meant Zubimendi has been reduced to an insurance policy rather than a genuine rotation piece. Marc Cucurella, meanwhile, has occupied the left-back role for every minute so far. This is not a manager experimenting. This is a manager sticking stubbornly to what he believes works.
A squad with depth, but not much movement
There is a case for that approach. Spain have reached the last two matches with a clear structure and a defined core, and that is not an accident. Zubimendi, who plays for Arsenal and was described as having lost some weight in Mikel Arteta's team late in the season, was also said to have been almost undisputed for Luis de la Fuente for most of the season. That makes his current absence even more striking. It is not that he is some forgotten fringe name. He is one of the players who should, in theory, have been central to Spain's planning.
But tournaments are ruthless, and the message here is obvious: reputation does not guarantee a minute. Grimaldo has already admitted the frustration from the outside, saying it is difficult not to play and help on the pitch even if he is still training and waiting for his moment. That is the reality for several Spain players now. They are in the squad, they are part of the journey, but they are not really part of the action.
For Zubimendi, that creates a very clear question. If Spain continue to win without using him, his status in the squad becomes harder to read. He may still be highly valued by de la Fuente, and he may still be viewed as one of the best in the position, but this tournament has not needed him yet. That is both a compliment to Spain's balance and a warning to anyone assuming every important name automatically gets a role.
Six matches in, six players still on zero minutes. For a nation still alive in the tournament, it is a sign of strength. For Martín Zubimendi, it is also a reminder that being trusted matters less than being needed.
