Arsenal defender Cristhian Mosquera has been handed a maiden call-up by the senior Spain side.
Mosquera has 14 caps for the Spain Under-21s but there have been questions over whether he would represent the country at senior level as he also holds a Colombian passport.
The 21-year-old has featured 25 times for Arsenal this season, having joined from Valencia for around £13million ($17.3m) in the summer, acting primarily as back-up to first-choice centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel. He previously made 90 appearances for the La Liga side.
“When I was 14 or 15, Spain contacted me,” Mosquera told The Athletic in October. “At that time, I don’t remember having any conversations with Colombia. For now, I’ve continued my normal process with Spain. But I’m not closing any doors on anyone. I try to carry on with my day-to-day life at my club and let the doors open when they need to open.”
Elsewhere, there is no place in Luis de la Fuente’s selection for Barcelona midfielder Gavi, who has only just returned from several months out through injury. Osasuna forward Victor Munoz is a surprise inclusion, with the 22-year-old getting his first call-up having never represented Spain at any level.
Spain host Serbia on Friday, March 27 and Egypt on Tuesday, March 31 during the coming international break, the last before this summer’s World Cup. De la Fuente’s side will face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H at the tournament.
Spain squad in full
Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Club), David Raya (Arsenal), Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), Joan Garcia (Barcelona).
Defenders: Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedro Porro (Tottenham Hotspur), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Club), Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), Cristhian Mosquera (Arsenal), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen).
Midfielders: Rodri (Manchester City), Martin Zubimendi (Arsenal), Pedri (Barcelona), Pablo Fornals (Real Betis), Carlos Soler (Real Sociedad), Dani Olmo (Barcelona), Fermin Lopez (Barcelona).
Forwards: Yeremy Pino (Crystal Palace), Alex Baena (Atletico Madrid), Ander Barrenetxea (Real Sociedad), Victor Munoz (Osasuna), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Borja Iglesias (Celta), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona).
Mosquera has proven his worth at Arsenal
Analysis by staff editor Nnamdi Onyeagwara
Of Arsenal’s eight signings made in last summer’s transfer window, Mosquera was one of the more low-key acquisitions.
He may, though, prove to be the best value for money addition after establishing himself as a useful and often-relied-upon member of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Mosquera has made 25 appearances in all competitions, coming at centre-back and more recently right-back.
After Saliba sustained an injury in the warm-up before a game against Liverpool in August, Mosquera made his first Premier League start at Anfield and performed admirably next to Gabriel. He performed similarly when Saliba and Gabriel both missed out on the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November and made a phenomenal goal-saving tackle to deny Igor Thiago a winning goal during the 1-1 draw away at Brentford in February, again filling in for Saliba.
Mosquera missed ten games due to an ankle injury sustained in December, but throughout this season, he has provided reliable cover at the heart of the Arsenal defence, while being picked ahead of Ben White to deputise for Jurrien Timber at right-back in recent weeks.
An athletic and versatile player with an aggressive approach to defending, Mosquera has more than played his part in an Arsenal defence that has kept a league-high 15 clean sheets this season.
De la Fuente hints at World Cup intentions
Analysis by Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballus
The inclusion of four goalkeepers in the list is certainly unusual, but it explains how special the case of Joan Garcia is. The 25-year-old will have a chance to get his first international cap after signing for Barca last summer.
Unai Simon is the undisputed starter, David Raya the number two and then Alex Remiro is the usual third goalkeeper and looked like the more expendable player. But Remiro is seen by De la Fuente as a key player in the dressing room harmony. He understands his role, is a good mentor for youngsters and leaving him out of the squad would never be easy for De la Fuente.
So he’s opted to include the four of them in the list. Now it’s clear there is a will from the coach to include Garcia in his long-term plans. Depending on what he sees over the next two weeks with the team, he will have to make a decision on whether he brings Garcia to the World Cup.
But the most surprising name is Cristian Mosquera. The Arsenal defender received his first international call-up ahead of other names that perhaps looked better placed than him, such as Barcelona’s Eric Garcia and Atletico Madrid’s Marc Pubill, who are both having excellent seasons.
De la Fuente is clearly having doubts over the centre-back spots as two usual internationals in past squads, Robin Le Normand and Dani Vivian, are not in the list now.
The injury absence of Nico Williams in the left-wing position has opened the door to Ander Barrenetxea and Munoz. The latter is one of the sensations of La Liga with Osasuna, a product of both Barcelona and Real Madrid’s academy.
