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Spain national under-21 football team
Football team of Spain
Football team of Spain
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Spain U-21 |
| Badge_size | 135px |
| Nickname | La Rojita (The Little Red One) |
| Association | Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Coach | David Gordo |
| Captain | Cristhian Mosquera |
| Most caps | Gerard Deulofeu (36) |
| Top scorer | Gerard Deulofeu (17) |
| FIFA Trigramme | ESP |
| pattern_la1 | _esp24h |
| pattern_b1 | _esp24h |
| pattern_ra1 | _esp24h |
| pattern_sh1 | _esp24h |
| pattern_so1 | _esp24h |
| leftarm1 | FF0000 |
| body1 | FF0000 |
| rightarm1 | FF0000 |
| shorts1 | 0000FF |
| socks1 | FF0000 |
| pattern_la2 | _esp24a |
| pattern_b2 | _esp24a |
| pattern_ra2 | _esp24a |
| pattern_sh2 | _esp24a |
| pattern_so2 | _esp24a |
| leftarm2 | FFFF99 |
| body2 | FFFF99 |
| rightarm2 | FFFF99 |
| shorts2 | FFFF99 |
| socks2 | FFFF99 |
| First game | 4–1 |
| (Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 9 October 1976) | |
| Largest win | 14–0 |
| (El Ejido, Spain; 8 February 2005) | |
| Largest loss | 5–0 |
| (Utrecht, Netherlands; 16 February 1983) | |
| UEFAu21Champ apps | 17 |
| UEFAu21Champ first | 1982 |
| UEFAu21Champ best | Winners (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013, 2019) |
| Sub-confederation = (Zagreb, Yugoslavia; 9 October 1976) | (El Ejido, Spain; 8 February 2005) | (Utrecht, Netherlands; 16 February 1983)

The Spain national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita (The Little Red), competes in the biennial UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976, the Spain under-21 team was formed. Spain has a strong record (competition winners five times and runners-up twice); having consecutively won the 2011 and 2013 Championships. They hold the joint record with Italy for the most wins of the competition.
Since the under-21 competition rules insist that players must be 21 or under at the start of a two-year competition, technically it is an U-23 competition. For this reason, Spain's brief record in the preceding U-23 competitions is also shown, though in actuality, Spain played only three competitive U-23 matches. The first was in the "under-23 Challenge", which they lost, while the next two were in a two-team qualification "group" for the 1972 competition (facing the Soviet Union team, they lost 2–1 at home then drew 1–1 away and failed to qualify. Spain did not enter a team in the other two U-23 competitions, but have been ever present in under-21 competitions).
Spain's youth development programs has been challenging the South American dominance in the FIFA U-17 World Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup. In fact, 20 of the Spanish 23-man squad that won the Euro 2008 came through the ranks of the youth teams; most of them had won titles at the youth level as well.
Competitive record
[[UEFA European Under-21 Championship]] record
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | Total | 17/25 | 252 | 181 | 36 | 35 | 537 | 181 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Qualifying Stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| 1980 | Qualifying Stage | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 1982 | Quarter-finals | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Runners-up | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 11 | |||||||||||||||
| 1986 | Champions | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Quarter-finals | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 1990 | Quarter-finals | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Qualifying Stage | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| FRA 1994 | Third Place | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Spain 1996 | Runners-up | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 14 | |||||||||||||||
| ROU 1998 | Champions | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| SVK 2000 | Third Place | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| SUI 2002 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| GER 2004 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| POR 2006 | Qualifying Stage | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| NED 2007 | Qualification Playoffs | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| SWE 2009 | Group Stage | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 7 | |||||||||||||||
| DEN 2011 | Champions | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| ISR 2013 | Champions | 15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| CZE 2015 | Qualification Playoffs | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 8 | |||||||||||||||
| POL 2017 | Runners-up | 15 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 43 | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| ITA 2019 | Champions | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| HUNSVN 2021 | Semifinals | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| ROUGEO 2023 | Runners-up | 13 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 50 | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| SVK 2025 | Quarter-finals | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 12 |
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- Gold background color indicates first-place finish. Silver background color indicates second-place finish. Bronze background color indicates third-place finish.
- Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
Individual awards
Spanish players have won individual awards at UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Player records
Top appearances
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Caps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerard Deulofeu | Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan | 2012–2017 | 36 | |
| 2 | Borja Mayoral | Real Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Levante | 2015–2019 | 31 | |
| Jorge Meré | Sporting Gijón, FC Köln | 2015–2019 | 31 | ||
| Iker Muniain | Athletic Bilbao | 2011–2014 | 31 | ||
| 5 | Dani Ceballos | Betis, Real Madrid | 2015–2019 | 29 | |
| Beñat Turrientes | Real Sociedad | 2021–2025 | 29 | ||
| 7 | Santi Denia | Albacete, Atlético Madrid | 1992–1996 | 27 | |
| David de Gea | Atlético Madrid, Manchester United | 2009–2013 | 27 | ||
| Abel Ruiz | Barcelona, Sporting Braga | 2019–2023 | 27 | ||
| 10 | Diego Capel | Sevilla | 2007–2011 | 25 | |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Real Sociedad | 2017–2019 | 25 | ||
| Saúl | Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano | 2013–2017 | 25 | ||
| Xavi | Barcelona | 1998–2001 | 25 |
Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club(s) | Year(s) | U-21 Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerard Deulofeu | Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, Milan | 2012–2017 | 17 | |
| 2 | Borja Mayoral | Real Madrid, VfL Wolfsburg, Levante | 2015–2019 | 16 | |
| 3 | Rodrigo | Benfica | 2011–2013 | 15 | |
| 4 | Isco | Málaga, Real Madrid | 2011–2014 | 14 | |
| 5 | Álvaro Morata | Real Madrid, Juventus | 2013–2014 | 13 | |
| Abel Ruiz | Barcelona, Sporting Braga | 2019–2023 | 13 | ||
| 7 | Óscar | Barcelona, Albacete | 1992–1996 | 12 | |
| 8 | Munir | Barcelona | 2014–2016 | 10 | |
| 9 | Pablo Couñago | Celta, Recreativo, Ipswich Town | 1999–2001 | 9 | |
| Adrián | Deportivo, Alavés, Málaga, Atlético Madrid | 2007–2011 | 9 | ||
| Saúl | Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano | 2013–2017 | 9 |
Note: Club(s) represents all the clubs that players played in at the time they did it too in the Under-21s.
- Caps and goals correct as of 21 June 2025.
Recent results
| Date | Competition | Location | Opponent | Result | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2023 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Paola, Malta | 6–0 | Diego López , Gabri Veiga {{goal | 14 | |
| 11 September 2023 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Jaén, Spain | 1–0 | Turrientes | ||
| 13 October 2023 | Friendly | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 0–0 | |||
| 17 October 2023 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Astana, Kazakhstan | 4–0 | Fermín López , Diego López , Fran Pérez , Omorodion | ||
| 17 November 2023 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Huelva, Spain | 2–0 | Carlos Martín , Pablo Torre | ||
| 21 November 2023 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Leuven, Belgium | 1–1 | Omorodion | ||
| 21 March 2024 | Friendly | Jerez, Spain | 0–2 | |||
| 26 March 2024 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Almería, Spain | 1–0 | Joseph | ||
| 6 September 2024 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Edinburgh, Scotland | 2–1 | Huijsen , Joseph | ||
| 10 September 2024 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Szeged, Hungary | 1–0 | Navarro | ||
| 10 October 2024 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | La Línea, Spain | 4–3 | Joseph {{goal | 15 | |
| 15 October 2024 | 2025 UEFA U-21 qualification | Algeciras, Spain | 6–0 | Omorodion {{goal | 5 | |
| 15 November 2024 | Friendly | La Línea, Spain | 0–0 | |||
| 19 November 2024 | Friendly | Albacete, Spain | 2–1 | Javi Guerra , Joseph | ||
| 21 March 2025 | Friendly | Lorca, Spain | 2–2 | Joseph , Tárrega | ||
| 25 March 2025 | Friendly | Darmstadt, Germany | 1–3 | Gabri Veiga | ||
| 6 June 2025 | Friendly | Alcorcón, Spain | 0–1 | |||
| 11 June 2025 | 2025 UEFA U-21 | Bratislava, Slovakia | 3–2 | Pubill , Joseph , Tárrega | ||
| 14 June 2025 | 2025 UEFA U-21 | Bratislava, Slovakia | 2–1 | Jauregizar , Fernández | ||
| 17 June 2025 | 2025 UEFA U-21 | Trnava, Slovakia | 1–1 | Jesús Rodríguez | ||
| 21 June 2025 | 2025 UEFA U-21 | Trnava, Slovakia | 1–3 | Javi Guerra | ||
| 5 September 2025 | 2027 UEFA U-21 qualification | Soria, Spain | 3–0 | Obrador , Yarek , Pablo García | ||
| 9 September 2025 | 2027 UEFA U-21 qualification | Pristina, Kosovo | 3–0 | Joel Roca , Iker Bravo , Adrián Niño | ||
| 10 October 2025 | Friendly | Guadalajara, Spain | 4–1 | Simo , Ángel Ortiz , Gonzalo , Miguel Carvalho | ||
| 14 October 2025 | 2027 UEFA U-21 qualification | Castellón, Spain | 2–1 | Mayenda , Gonzalo | ||
| 14 November 2025 | 2027 UEFA U-21 qualification | Lugo, Spain | 7–0 | Virgili {{goal | 19 | |
| 18 November 2025 | 2027 UEFA U-21 qualification | Sibiu, Romania | 2–0 | Gonzalo , Fresneda |
Forthcoming fixtures
| Date | Competition | Location | Opponent |
|---|
2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Group phase
Main article: 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group A
Players
Players born in 2004 or later are eligible for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Players in bold have been already capped with the senior team.
Current squad
The following players were named in the squad for the 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against San Marino and Romania on 14 and 18 November 2025, respectively.
Caps and goals as of 18 November 2025, after the match against Romania.
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up within the last twelve months are still eligible for selection.
Honours
Titles
Former squads
- 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
- 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads – Spain
Notes
References
References
- (9 June 2011). "La sub 21 regresa al lugar donde nació el 'tiqui-taca'". [[Marca (newspaper).
- (7 November 2025). "Esta es la lista de David Gordo para los compromisos de Noviembre". Royal Spanish Football Federation.
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