What an independent Catalan national team would look like
Following years of political tension in the region, the unofficial Catalan national football team will return to action against Venezuela on March 25.
The political strife that has divided the northeast of Spain has brimmed under the surface of Spanish football for decades. However, following Catalonia’s failed independence bid in 2017, that tension has stirred at unprecedented levels, culminating in the return of the symbolic Catalan national football team during this international break.
While clubs such as FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao represent longstanding political opposition to Spanish oppression, and in a sense serve as “national teams” for the Catalan and Basque communities, Catalonia could very well become a force on the international level should they secede from Spain in the coming decades.
As one of the world’s absolute best producers of elite footballing talent as seen with Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, the Catalans could very well field a team that would compete with some of Europe’s top nations on the international level. Although the squad to face Venezuela will not feature all of the region’s absolute best talent, it’s interesting to imagine how a FIFA-sanctioned Catalonia would line up.
Goalkeeper is arguably Catalonia’s weakest position, but Leeds United’s Kiko Casilla is still probably the pick of the bunch at the moment. However, a solid back four in front of him consisting of Sergi Roberto, Gerard Piqué, Marc Bartra, and Jordi Alba would be one of the continent’s best defensive lines.
In midfield, Sergio Busquets would cover the back four at the base of the midfield trident, with Cesc Fàbregas providing the creativity and Lleida-born Lazio powerhouse Sergej Milinković-Savić contributing at both ends of the pitch.
Finally in attack, in-form Watford attacker Gerard Deulofeu shifts over to the left to accommodate Catalan-born Senegalese winger Keita Baldé with Villarreal’s Gerard Moreno leading the line. It’s difficult to imagine an independent Catalonia managed by anyone other than Pep Guardiola, a known supporter of the region’s independence, with Catalan icon Xavi Hernández serving as his assistant.
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With footballing pedigree of that magnitude and some of the world’s absolute best development, Spain’s wealthiest province would undoubtedly compete for titles on the international stage. While the national team represents little more than a symbolic gesture by the Catalan Federation at this moment in time, it could one day be a force to be reckoned with across Europe and around the world.