Alfonso Pérez was one of the most talented Spanish footballers at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century. He played for Real Madrid, Real Betis, and Barcelona, won an Olympic gold medal with the national team in 1992, and participated in two European Championships and one FIFA World Cup. Ahead of Spain's opening match against Cape Verde in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, he was interviewed by Flashscore.
Alfonso, what are you doing these days?
I've pretty much stepped away from football now, as I'm working in other fields. However, I still maintain contact with the Real Madrid veterans' team and the Spanish legends' team. Until recently, I would still play with them and try to participate in some events. But now I don't play as frequently, because I feel that at a certain age, it's time to stop. After all, playing at this age carries a high risk of injury. I had many injuries during my professional career, not to mention now, and the training and support conditions are certainly not as good as before. Now I mostly watch games as an ordinary fan, and I've entered a new phase of my life, as time keeps moving forward.
As a spectator, and also as a former Spanish international, what do you think of the current Spanish team?
I think the most important thing for Spain is that they have truly developed their own playing style and established a way of playing. It is this style that has brought Spain success in recent years. Spain fully deserves to be among the best teams in the world.
Of course, we have also experienced different eras, and had many excellent players and good teams, but sometimes it was just a little bit short, and we never truly broke through. Or rather, in many situations, we lacked that crucial bit of luck that is so important in major tournaments.
In the group stage, there is some room for error, but in the knockout stage, it's a one-off winner-takes-all. A referee's decision, a stroke of bad luck, a controversial moment, or even any small detail can lead to an early exit. Spain has every chance of becoming world champions, because I believe this team has that capability. But in some past periods, we also had very good teams, it's just that luck wasn't on our side.
The current Spanish team has already won the FIFA World Cup, the European Championship, and the UEFA Nations League; they have established their status and become a team that everyone must take seriously. In every FIFA World Cup, people always mention Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and France, because they are all World Cup winners. But Spain must also be in this category, and now they have achieved that. Both in terms of player ability and game content, Spain is one of the strongest teams in the world, and this is why they have continued to achieve success over the years.
From a player's individual perspective, facing a major tournament like the FIFA World Cup means long training camps, being away from family, and not much rest. How do players usually prepare for this?
I think the biggest problem now is that the schedule barely gives players a break. If you're a player for Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Atlético Madrid, you're constantly playing – La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League, national team matches, basically all linked together. By the time the FIFA World Cup starts, these players have accumulated a large number of games, even more than in our era.
After playing all these games, I don't know if they get a few days off, but soon they have to refocus and prepare for the FIFA World Cup for almost a month. This process, of course, brings physical fatigue, but I think the bigger problem is the mental exhaustion. I still remember that after La Liga ended, I might only have a week of vacation, and then immediately had to go to the national team training camp. Sometimes there wasn't even a real gap; the league ended and then it was directly followed by the European Championship or other tournaments.
Some players are currently dealing with physical issues, such as Lamine Yamal, Williams Jr., and Víctor. If the first match is against Cape Verde, would you risk playing them?
First, the players themselves must feel physically sound, and the coach must confirm this. Perhaps they are not yet ready to play 90 minutes, but taking Lamine as an example, he had a hamstring injury before. If he feels physically great and has no discomfort, then the next step is to slowly regain match rhythm and get into form bit by bit. We naturally hope that Spain can go far, and we also hope that all players remain in the best physical condition, giving the head coach more options. But most importantly, these injuries should not recur, nor should overprotecting players prevent them from playing smoothly through the entire FIFA World Cup.
The most stable position seems to be Oyarzabal, who is the No. 9 for this Spanish team. However, from an external perspective, many opponents do not view him as a traditional center forward.
The key is that Spain has many different types of attackers, and many players can play in that position. Oyarzabal is indeed not a typical center forward like Haaland, not a tall, excellent header, strong finisher, high-scoring striker.
Among this type of player, perhaps only the in-form Borja Iglesias is closer to a true center forward; others are quite different. Ferran is also a forward, but he doesn't have that physical build, though he likes to attack space behind the defense. Oyarzabal prefers to drop deep, create danger, and also provide a link-up option for the team.
I believe Spain has many players with different characteristics, and no matter who the coach chooses, they can perform well because they are all very good players. Depending on different matches and the coach's ideas, the team will certainly rotate and adjust. I don't think this will be a FIFA World Cup where a fixed starting eleven plays from start to finish. The head coach can rotate because all the players are of a very high standard. For a coach, choosing the ideal starting lineup is, to some extent, a "happy problem."
What do you think are Spain's biggest strengths? What areas still need improvement?
The biggest strengths are the playing style this national team exhibits and the inherent quality of the players themselves; these are fundamental. In fact, when Spain won the FIFA World Cup back then, they weren't a team with particularly outstanding physical attributes. They relied on excellent ball possession and technical skill. I believe these are the things that truly make a difference. If you can compensate for physical differences through excellent ball control and continuously wear down opponents through possession, then Spain can certainly be among the strongest teams.
As for weaknesses, honestly, I can't think of any right now. As one of the best teams, as I just said, they need a bit of luck. In goal, we have three very good goalkeepers, as well as good defenders, and a very creative, very talented midfield. Rodri is outstanding; in my opinion, he is a Ballon d'Or level player. Overall, we have a very strong team. I don't see any obvious shortcomings for now. What they need to do is believe in this team and believe in their football, which will be key to helping them win.
Cape Verde is a big unknown in this FIFA World Cup. It is generally believed that they might play defensively. Do you also expect Cape Verde to play this way?
We don't have much information about them, but generally speaking, teams that are weaker than Spain usually opt for a defensive approach when facing Spain. However, if I were the coach, I've always had one idea: if you're likely to lose anyway, at least let the team play its own game and press high. This is my view as a former forward, and it's also something I thought during my limited coaching experience.
I worked in Mallorca, as an assistant coach to Gálvez, and our team strongly emphasized offense. I would think: "Is Spain likely to win? Yes. Are we playing in the FIFA World Cup? Yes. Is this a stage for players to showcase themselves? Also yes. Then play as much as possible, defend well, control yourselves, and have a good World Cup." If I were the coach of this team, that's what I would do. But if Cape Verde chooses to sit deep, Spain must remain patient, wait for opportunities, and then seize them.
You know Lopetegui very well. His Qatar team is also considered a weaker team, but they dared to attack in the final stages against Switzerland and eventually secured a draw.
There is a group of excellent coaches now, and Lopetegui is one of them. There has been a clear change in coaching, a new generation of coaches has emerged. The working methods in youth academies have also changed; everyone now places great importance on ball possession and technical ability.
From a coaching perspective, Luis Enrique, Guardiola, Fàbregas, Arteta, Emery... many coaches are managing high-level clubs. They all understand that the best way to win is to play good football, to press high, and not to give opponents time to think. We see that a new generation of coaches is changing football, and Lopetegui is one of them.
Returning to the Spanish squad, you mentioned there are no Real Madrid players selected this time. Does that surprise you?
Except for possibly one or two players, Real Madrid doesn't have many homegrown players right now; most are foreign players. Carvajal is injured, and Ceballos doesn't get much playing time. I don't see any other players who truly meet the criteria for a national team spot.
Heijsen also hasn't had many consecutive playing opportunities and has been injured. To get into the national team, you first need to play consistently. As a Real Madrid fan, of course I'd like to see more Real Madrid players in the national team, but that requires the club to rely more on its youth academy, which Real Madrid hasn't truly done in recent years. Under Arbeloa, some young players have debuted, but they still need stable room for growth. Real Madrid's policy is to sign the best players in the world, which largely reduces opportunities for academy players to break into the first team.
Another trend is that more and more players are not born in the country they represent. For example, Morocco, whose three key players are Achraf, born in Madrid, Brahim, born in Malaga, and Saïvari, born in Girona. What do you think of this phenomenon?
This is the reality of the football world today. Many families settle in a certain place and develop a sense of identity with it. Heijsen could have also represented the Netherlands, but he ultimately chose Spain. This situation has always existed.
Globalization has led many families to live in a country for work or other reasons, where their children grow up and later become footballers. This is the era we live in. Our era was completely different; back then, only three foreign players were allowed on the field, and there wasn't the same diversity in the football world as there is today.
But ultimately, players must identify with the national team they choose to represent. They may have had the opportunity to play for another national team, but they ultimately made their own choice, and we should wish them all the best. It's a personal choice.
How far do you think Spain can go in the end?
I don't know. It's really hard to predict what will happen because it requires a lot of luck. Luck is very crucial in a tournament like the FIFA World Cup. You need a good team, which I believe Spain has, and that's the most important thing. You also need a good coach, good tactical ideas, and also some luck.
You have to seize your opportunities and you can't make mistakes. Ultimately, you're facing the best teams in the world. You might encounter a very strong team, and the match result often depends on details: a top player's finish, a penalty shootout, who knows, sometimes it's really like a lottery. That's why I say that this kind of tournament is different from the Champions League. In the Champions League, you can draw away and make up for it at home, there's still some room for error. But in the FIFA World Cup, mistakes are almost not allowed, or rather, the margin for error is very small. One mistake can cost you dearly.
Therefore, you have to have a bit of luck, which is very important in this kind of tournament. Apart from that, I think Spain has everything it needs to succeed.