Mikel Oyarzabal has moved to the center of Spain's attack at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 29-year-old forward, who has spent his entire senior career with Real Sociedad, has become one of Spain's most important players while carrying a role that now feels far bigger than a single tournament stretch.
That is why his name is being searched now. Oyarzabal, born in Eibar in 1997, wears No. 21 for Spain and No. 10 for Real Sociedad, and his importance has grown under Luis de la Fuente. He is left-footed, 5-foot-11, and able to play across the front line, but Spain has increasingly turned to him as a decisive attacking option when the matches matter most.
His rise has a clean football reason behind it. Oyarzabal scored the winning goal in the UEFA Euro 2024 final, the kind of moment that changes how a player is viewed at international level. That came after he missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup because of a serious knee injury, a setback that could have pushed him out of the picture altogether. Instead, he came back and became one of Spain's most influential attacking players during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The personal detail that followed his latest goal gave the celebration another layer. Oyarzabal revealed that he and Ainhoa Larrauri were expecting their second child by tucking the ball under his jersey, a gesture that made the moment unmistakable without needing any explanation. He and Larrauri welcomed their first child in 2023, so the celebration was not just viral because it was unusual; it was clear, readable news in a single image.
For Spain, the immediate takeaway is simple: Oyarzabal is no longer just a reliable forward from Real Sociedad, but one of the players the national team leans on when the stakes rise. The unanswered piece now is not whether he matters, but how much more he can add before this tournament ends.
