Why Borja Iglesias deserves to be in Spain's World Cup squad

When Fernando Torres, scorer of the winning extremity successful the last of Euro 2008 that brought Spain their archetypal planetary trophy for 44 years, utilized to alert up to the Galician metropolis of Vigo to sojourn his then-girlfriend, Olalla Dominguez, he'd beryllium greeted successful airdrome arrivals not by a mob of screaming fans attracted by his fame and boyish bully looks, but by a pack of section lads with a gangly, bright-eyed, beanpole serving arsenic the person of their pack. That lad was Real Betis guardant Borja Iglesias.

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Polite to a fault, implicit the months Torres would halt and motion autographs to the constituent that Iglesias present has a big of inscribed "Best Wishes!" worldly (newspapers, napkins, tickets) signed by the feline whose booming transverse from the near helping successful other clip connected July 11, 2010, yet allowed Andres Iniesta to half-volley Spain's World Cup final-winning extremity against Netherlands.

Even arsenic a teenage kid successful a north-eastern Spanish sportfishing town, inactive with "absolutely nary thought astir making it arsenic a nonrecreational footballer," Iglesias had a due knowing of what constituted a top-level extremity scorer. All these years later, the pendulum has swung. Now possibly it's the 6-foot-2 Betis striker whose crook it mightiness beryllium to nutrient the aureate moments, and goals, that bring La Roja glory successful Qatar.

Perhaps, implicit the adjacent 2 months, the mantle volition beryllium passed from Torres to Iglesias; from "El Nino" to "El Panda."

If you watched his hand-to-hand, knee-to-groin, nose-to-nose pitched conflict with Real Sociedad's 3 cardinal defenders, Aritz Elustondo, Robin Le Normand and Jon Pacheco connected Sunday, earlier Iglesias scored the win-guaranteeing extremity to vault Betis into LaLiga's Champions League qualifying positions, past you mightiness person decided that this was the show to person Luis Enrique to instrumentality "the Panda" to the desert. A nighttime to person the antheral with "the powerfulness of the list" that Borja Iglesias simply indispensable beryllium successful the squad that'll beryllium named connected Nov. 11, and indispensable past beryllium connected the level carrying Spain to Doha.

If you weren't watching -- and wherefore connected world not? -- past I committedness you it's nary exaggeration.

This was old-school football. La Real's defenders knew that Betis were tired. They besides knew that Borja and Co. person played 17 times successful the 11 weeks since the 2022-23 play started, adjacent having to question 22,000 kilometers (nearly 14,000 miles) to and from Rome, Helsinki and Razgrad (Bulgaria) to suffice for the knockout rounds of the Europa League. So Imanol Aguacil's Real Sociedad, already the apical of the fouling stats successful LaLiga, genuinely believed they could use a knockout blow, domestically, by battering Borja's boys physically.

It was an strength of intent that led to the Basques committing astir treble the fouls Betis did, but to nary avail. "The Panda" received precious small work and, portion helium tried to enforce himself connected the game, La Real's defenders went aft him.

At this signifier you're astir apt wondering 2 things: wherefore is helium called "the Panda," when, physically, helium looks overmuch much similar a giraffe? And tin Spain truly enactment specified religion successful a feline who's already 29, scored his archetypal LaLiga extremity lone 4 years agone and hasn't adjacent started an planetary lucifer for La Roja?

The archetypal one's easy, and the better-informed among you mightiness already cognize the answer.

It was Week 3 of the 2016-17 play successful Spain's 3rd part and Celta Vigo B were playing distant astatine Palencia successful the bosom of cardinal Spain. Bored successful their edifice room, Borja and 3 teammates started listening to the rapper Desiigner and his opus (you guessed it) "Panda." They progressed to watching videos of those animals connected YouTube and, without a 2nd thought, the 4 teammates adopted some the name, and iconic image, of this Chinese subordinate of the carnivore family. Suddenly, they were the "Panda Team."

A corporate to statesman with, the nickname rapidly became exclusively applied lone to Borja, the alpha-player, aft his 32 goals successful a play -- they won 3-1 astatine Palencia that time his nom de plume was calved -- that truthful precise astir promoted Celta B to the 2nd part earlier they mislaid retired successful the playoffs. Since leaving Celta for Zaragoza, Espanyol and present Betis, helium has popped up connected Luis Enrique's radar successful clip to get 30 minutes for Spain successful their past defeat, which came astatine location to Switzerland.

The reply to question 2 is, yes, he's easy bully enough. What's much there's not a azygous player, disposable to Spain's nationalist coach, who combines each the Panda's qualities. Not one.

Tall and aerially excellent, helium has a thunderous changeable and not lone boasts a terrific penalty-taking technique, but a good conversion complaint (34-of-37) successful his career. Stylistically, he's an old-fashioned striker successful presumption of being perfectly blessed playing with his backmost to extremity if helium needs to, but beyond simply proving he's a high-level finisher -- with 66 top-flight goals since 2018 -- he's besides a damn bully footballer, an indispensable property to however Luis Enrique demands that Spain play.

Best of all, with attacking footballers each astir him falling injured, flailing for signifier and goals oregon still, similar Mikel Oyarzabal, not adjacent capable to afloat grooming aft a agelong wounded to suggest they'll beryllium connected the plane, "the Panda" is taking the hits from opposing defenders and inactive uncovering the net. Regularly. He has 8 goals and 2 assists successful 11 LaLiga starts, 2nd lone to Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski successful presumption of attacking interaction this season. It was besides his extremity successful past season's last that acceptable Betis connected people to triumph conscionable their third-ever Copa del Rey.

Luis Enrique (and his scouts) volition person thrilled astatine the mode Iglesias laid siege connected Real Sociedad's burly and brusque defenders, adjacent getting up adjacent and idiosyncratic with the referee connected Sunday without getting himself booked earlier making a lung-busting, 40-metre sprint to tuck distant Alex Moreno's back-post transverse successful the 94th infinitesimal for 2-0. (Also of note: assertive and bursting with volition to triumph though helium is, Borja hasn't incurred capable bookings to beryllium suspended since March 2019.)

So, close time, close spot and, erstwhile you speech to him, close words, too.

A mantra of his is this: "No striker, successful modern football, tin 'live' exclusively via his extremity scoring. All of america request to bring overmuch much to a team. There are truthful galore things a striker indispensable bash agelong earlier he's tucking the shot past the keeper. There was a clip when, if I missed a laic disconnected successful midfield, I'd beryllium similar 'so what?' Now thing similar that truly stings me. These days I'm conscious of however important each azygous interaction connected the shot is."

That, ladies and gents, is similar manna from eden for Spain's coach.

It's however helium himself played. It's what helium tries to interaction upon his squad and it's a taxable that, similar his show astatine the Anoeta this weekend, volition enactment Borja connected the formation to Qatar truthful agelong arsenic he's fit.

There's more, though. The Panda besides admits: "Winning means much to maine than scoring goals. If I don't triumph a match, I tin beryllium hateful to beryllium around. I conscionable unrecorded for it. Look: my parents person a Godson and erstwhile we play anything, I'm incapable of 'allowing' him to win. He gets angry, but that's simply not successful my marque up."

Again, this could beryllium scripted by Luis Enrique; aft each his nickname, "Lucho," means "fighter." It's to "the Panda's" large bully luck that during his clip successful the Celta younker system, helium impressed their elder coach, that aforesaid Luis Enrique, sufficiently for the 20-year-old striker, who'd been converted from a winger, to beryllium promoted to bid with the archetypal team.

The Spain manager precocious revealed: "I've been watching Borja since past (2013-14) and he's got tons of things I similar -- not slightest the wont of playing with a large grin connected his face."

He's besides a chill dude, Borja. In the blimpish satellite of Spanish football, wherever "the mode things are done" is simply a ascendant sentiment, Borja is the fella who, erstwhile the George Floyd protests were astatine their peak, painted his nails achromatic and announced that it was his ain mode of "stating absorption to some racism and homophobia" and said that helium "loved" a tussle connected the transportation truthful "... if immoderate centre-halves privation to prime connected maine due to the fact that of this past they've been warned ..."

"The Panda" ever admired Didier Drogba, Fernando Morientes (who truly looked retired for him erstwhile Borja was a homesick kid astatine Valencia), and, of course, Torres. "Word got astir erstwhile helium was owed to alert into our metropolis [Vigo] and truthful maine and my mates would ever spell down to the airdrome ... and I've got a assortment of antithetic photos with him," Iglesias said.

When I suggested this file to our ESPN FC "Jefe," helium evaluated Borja arsenic having the pluck and wound of "a junkyard dog" -- thing helium whitethorn request erstwhile a hopeless Sevilla transverse their metropolis to play astatine Betis' febrile, uber-confident Benito Villamarin stadium adjacent Sunday nighttime (Stream LIVE: Real Betis vs. Sevilla, 11/6, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+, US Only.)

Borja wants to spell to the World Cup. Borja wants to enactment acceptable until that level leaves. But please, person zero doubts: Borja "the Panda" wants to bushed relegation-threatened Sevilla first. At each costs. There volition beryllium nary holding back, nary 4th asked oregon given, nary thought of whether a football-war similar the Seville derby mightiness beryllium a bully 1 to dainty with caution and aforesaid preservation fixed that what volition beryllium the 29-year-old's lone World Cup is conscionable astir to hover into view.

After all, that's not the mode of "the Panda."