Fabian Ruiz: Spain’s Lanky Midfield Magician
It’s sunny in Los Palacios y Villafranca, a city located in the province of Seville, Spain. There are trees shading you from the sun, but it suffices for people in the park. The population of this city is roughly 36,000, yet its the home to Jesus Navas, the only surviving member of Spain’s golden generation, Barcelona’s golden boy, Gavi and then PSG and Euro 2024 star, Fabian Ruiz. Two midfield metronomes and a wing wizard, who is still going strong at 80 [pun intended]. What is in the water in Los Palacios?
It is on those sandy grounds that Euro 2024 star, ‘Fabian’ began his football story, polishing his love for the beautiful game. One of the three children of Chari Pena, Fabian was born into a poor family, with his mother a worker at the maintenance department of Andalusian club, Real Betis.
He may claim to have modelled his game after Xavi but he was fondly called the Messi of Los Palacios, He was initially mocked for his height by his peers before a growth spurt occurred when he was 14. He grew 30cm in that span, and never looked back, complementing a supreme technique with just the right physical attributes.
It also meant he had to adapt his style of play to his new stature, and adapt he did, complimenting adept footwork and close control in small spaces with a variety of passing range and a more physical grip on the game. There is nothing more Spanish than those attributes.
Standing at 189cm tall now, he has become an integral part of Luis de la Fuente’s midfield, earning plaudits from the gaffer time and again. It is what the world has seen frequently too. His nimble feet before checking onto his left foot to fire into the bottom corner against Croatia, or the quick turn to send Italian midfielders on their way.
How dare I forget his backpost header against Georgia? Or those delightful passes that found Nico Williams time and again against Germany. Surprising to the rest of the world, but not to de la Fuente or Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti or Quique Setien.
Since breaking through under Setien at boyhood club, Betis, to filling the boots of Marek Hamsik and Jorginho at Napoli, and now dazzling the fans at Le Parc, Fabian continues to show a class that is beyond his years. No surprise as he started out playing with those above his age group. Whether it is as a tough tackling combative midfielder, or as a slick ball carrier, he stands out.
He is like that player in the five-a-side who casually plays the game at his pace and we all know is the best. It is why the stage does not faze him, whether it’s winning the Golden Ball en route to claiming the trophy at the UEFA U19 Championships, or waiting five years between his first and second international goals or winning the UEFA Nations League in 2023. Today, he is a champion of Europe after guiding Spain to seven wins out of seven and a record fourth Euros title.
The 28-year-old has emerged as a pivotal cog in La Roja’s midfield, with his stellar performances in Germany earning him a spot in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament, and he looks set to play a key role under Luis Enrique — De La Fuente’s predecessor at Spain — as Paris Saint-Germain seek to kick off the post-Mbappé era with a fourth straight Ligue 1 title.
By: Tosin Holmes / @Cosimo_diMedici
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images