Fabian Ruiz, in pink shorts and a beach shirt, was sitting on the railing of a boat, his sunglasses framing his eyes as he gazed at something in the distance. Behind him, one could see the masts of several small boats parked at a distance from his own on the vast expanse of emerald blue water that surrounded them.
“Happy holiday, have a blast,” wrote a fan who reacted to Ruiz’s Instagram post.
“I live in Cancun, if you want to eat Neapolitan pizza, let me know,” wrote another.
Another fan’s reaction was less celebratory.
“The best Spanish midfielder and one of the top five in the world on holidays while the World Cup is being played,” read the comment.
“This only happens in Spain.”
Ruiz had posted the picture on November 24, 2022, a full 4 days after the inauguration of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Ruiz was on vacation, half a world away in the Mexican island of Isla Mujares, after being omitted from Spain’s squad for the World Cup.
“He is doing very well, but I can call only 25 players,” said the then Spain coach Luis Enrique about snubbing Ruiz. “He was included in the preliminary list and he knows where he has to improve, the door is open for him.”
The door did eventually reopen for Ruiz, but when it did, Enrique was no longer the Spain coach. Luis de la Fuente, Enrique’s successor, called up the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder in March 2023 after a near two-year absence from the national squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Scotland. Ruiz made one assist against Norway and was on the bench against Scotland. He has made every Spain squad since.
At these European Championships in Germany, Ruiz has been scintillating, helping La Roja dismantle opponents with an ease that must have sent a collective shiver down the spines of other major title contenders.
A LANKY ELEGANCE
At first glance, Ruiz can be mistaken for a gangly teenager in his final year of high school. He is soft-spoken, almost painfully polite and in a crowded room you might fail to notice him unless he speaks up.
On the pitch, however, there’s no missing him. Ruiz seems to like running and he runs tirelessly, using his 6’2 frame to quickly reach areas where his team need him.
The 28-year-old seems attracted to space on the pitch like a moth to flame.
The Andulasia native also keeps shifting on the pitch constantly, to beat his markers and to keep himself open to receive passes from teammates. As Ruiz does this assiduously throughout the 95-odd minutes of a match, some goal-scoring chances invariably do come his way during the course of a match.
At these Euros, Ruiz has pounced on these chances.
He has scored twice and managed to set up 2 more goals for his teammates in the 3 games he has played so far.
After a Player of the Match display in a 3-0 Group Stage victory over Croatia, the former Napoli midfielder was self-effacing in his comments to the press.
Talking about the goal he had set up for Alvaro Morata against Croatia, Ruiz said, “He always tells me to look for him with those balls in behind (the opposition defence), I am used to his runs. I saw the space and his control and finish were great. (For my goal), Pedri gave me a great pass.”
However, “the most important thing,” Ruiz maintained, “is that we won.”
“If his name wasn’t Fabian, you would be talking about him non-stop,” de la Fuente told reporters after the Spaniard’s performance against Croatia. “He has everything and has known how to do everything well at all times.”
SUCCESS FORETOLD
De la Fuente should know.
The 63-year-old is a long-time former coach of the Spain Under-19 and Under-21 teams and coached many of Spain’s current squad as teenage boys, including Ruiz.
In 2019, Ruiz helped Spain with the UEFA Under-19 European Championship held in Italy, being named Player of the Tournament. In the final, he scored one goal and created another to help Spain beat Germany 2-1.
“This is a group of players who are fantastic and so talented,” said de la Fuente, then still in charge of the Spain Under-19 team, after winning the tournament. “I am more than proud of these players. I can only say well done to these players, who can make history.”
Two summers from now, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in North America, across 3 countries: the USA, Canada and Mexico. Barring injury, it would be safe to conclude that when the tournament kicks off, Fabian Ruiz will once again have Mexico in his travel plans – but this time, he won’t be on vacation.