The national team, which plays a World Cup quarter-final match Friday against Belgium, has also found itself enmeshed in separatist controversy. But the political drama has largely been missing from this year\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n

In the nearly 9 years that have elapsed since the Catalan independence referendum, the pro-independence movement has lost steam and the region’s citizens have grown tired of the constant tension with the rest of Spain. Since regional elections were held in 2024, when nationalist parties failed to win a majority of seats<\/a> for the first time since 1984, the Catalan government has since focused on normalizing relations<\/a> with Madrid.<\/p>\n

That shift is evident in football. While FC Barcelona remains the region’s most beloved team, it is today a much more international operation, a powerhouse with a commercial strategy that targets an international audience with global football stars like Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski.<\/p>\n

They stand in contrast to figures like long-time Barcelona player Gerard Piqu\u00e9, a much-decorated defender who was also a member of Spain’s national team.<\/p>\n

When Piqu\u00e9, who was born and raised in Barcelona, was first drafted to play on the national team, the Catalan separatist movement had not yet exploded, and the center back largely avoided publicly discussing Catalan independence. Indeed, after Spain won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, he became a beloved figure across the country. Likewise, when he was drafted for the 2014 edition of the tournament in Brazil, he wasn’t associated with the growing push to separate Catalonia from Spain.<\/p>\n

But in 2017 Piqu\u00e9 publicly declared his support for a proposed referendum on the region’s independence, and after the Spanish government moved to shut down the unauthorized vote, he criticized the violent crackdown<\/a> that saw police deployed to polling stations. Although the footballer insisted that he was not a separatist<\/a>, he stressed that Catalans should have a say in their future. \u201cYou should be able to vote yes, no, or abstain, but you should be able to vote,” he said at the time.<\/p>\n

Piqu\u00e9’s stance made him a controversial figure ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In the lead up to the tournament, he was verbally abused by spectators<\/a> at training sessions, leading him to offer to drop out<\/a> of the national team if he was determined to be too much of a distraction. He played, but announced his retirement from the group following Spain’s elimination from the tournament.<\/p>\n

There’s no lack of Catalans on Spain’s current national team. The country’s biggest star, Lamine Yamal, plays for Bar\u00e7a and was born in a suburb of Barcelona, and he’s accompanied by eight other players born or raised in the region, among them Pau Cubars\u00ed and Marc Cucurella.<\/p>\n

While none of them are known for making pro-independence statements, three of them \u2014 Eric Garc\u00eda, Dani Olmo, and Joan Garc\u00eda \u2014 were recently embroiled in controversy after being photographed with a separatist symbol. After FC Barcelona won the Spanish league title last May, the players were seen waving esteladas <\/i>\u2014 a flag associated with the Catalan independence movement \u2014 while parading through the regional capital. Although some conservatives called for them to not be included in the national team, all three were ultimately tapped to take part in this year’s tournament.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"