Fabian Ruiz is still considered a underestimated player at European champion Spain, but also proves his great value in his club more and more.
When Spain competes with the Netherlands on Thursday evening (20.03.2025) in the Nations League, it is about moving into the semi -finals. The successful series of the European champion is also at stake: Spain’s national team has lost no game for 16 games and almost exactly one year. The last defeat so far was on March 22, 2024, a 0: 1 in a friendly against Colombia.
“El Invencible” Fabian
Fabian Ruiz was sitting on the bench at the time, so his personal balance sheet remained untouched: the midfielder did not lose 35 games in a row in the jersey of “La Roja”. At his club Paris Saint-Germain, there are even 48 games without defeat when Fabian, as he wants to be called, was on the pitch. Spain’s sports newspaper “Marca” has therefore overwritten the interview with him before the National League duel against the Netherlands with “El Inviscible”, “the invincible”.
Already at the European Championship, the Andalusian, who was trained in youth at Betis, played a key role in Spain’s midfield. Except for the last preliminary round against Albania, when national coach Luis de la Fuente completely drowned, Fabian had his regular place in midfield.
The 28 -year -old left foot prefers the defensive center and the left half of the field. One of his greatest strengths is that he can claim the ball in pressure situations, against several opponents, especially in the zone susceptible to ball losses on the outer line. This is a central element in the Spanish success concept that is based on possession and control.
Because Fabian is often somewhat higher than Rodri, his congenial next man, he can also give an offensive impulses or cause the risk of scoring: at the tricky EM start against Croatia, he made the preliminary decision with his second, thought-out goal.
Spain’s coach de la fuente over “World-class player” Fabian
The fact that his value on the way to the European Championship title might fell under the table was probably also due to the fact that he ran alongside the world’s best defensive midfielder. In the end, Fabian also stood next to Rodri in the tournament sports show team. Spain’s national coach also emphasized Fabian’s special role in the European Championship triumph last summer. He was a “extraordinary, a world-class player“, said de la Fuente. Fabian stands for all those players who in La Liga domestic “wrongly stand in the shade and also do not get the attention they deserve in the media”.
The national coach, known for his pronounced patriotism, aimed at the Spanish major clubs, especially Real Madrid with his foreign superstars. But de la Fuente has a point, Fabian was once sent away by his home work, only at Napoli and later at PSG he matured to the top international player.
Fabian also provides its outstanding value for a team more and more in Paris, especially since the Qatarian football branch initiated the departure from its galactic, but unsuccessful superstar concept. After the farewell to Kylian Mbappé, PSG managed the upheaval under coach Luis Enrique surprisingly successfully.
Fabian also part of the upswing at PSG
At PSG on the offensive are still exceptional men like Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the squad. But Coach Enrique is mainly based on a strong collective and tactical unity. The midfield is therefore also available for the upswing at PSG: with Vitinha, Joao Neves and Fabian, who is considered an extended arm of the Spanish coach. Luis Enrique, who previously trained the Spanish national team, has established a stable 4-3-3 basic orientation at PSG, the same system, which the Spanish national team mostly plays in the possession phases.
Some observers already speak of “Hispanization” at Luis Enrique, successfully reformed PSG. The Parisians recently caused a sensation in the Champions League: Brest was overwhelmed with a result of 10: 0 aggregated after the second leg. And in the round of 16, PSG prevailed against the highly traded Liverpool FC, the dominant team in the mighty Premier League. Fabian may be able to put the next major European trophy into the air with PSG at the end of May.