Who is Mikel Oyarzabal? The story of the Spanish hero who missed the World Cup in Qatar due to injury and got his revenge at the Euro.

“I was just doing my job. When I went out on the field, I just wanted to help, do what I had to do at all times,” said one doubter. Mikel Oyarzabal after the European Cup final between Spain and England. At this point, it is likely that the attacker has still not achieved his feat. The striker came on in the 68th minute and on his first ball in the lead, in the 86th minute, he scored the goal that gave his country the title. The fourth continental competition for the Iberians. It joins those of 1964, 2008 and 2012. The most winning nation of this trophy.

Oyarzabal Ugarte, 27, born in Eibar, has built a career as a second-rate striker in La Liga. A name that always stands out, but doesn’t usually monopolize the covers or the flashes. He spent his entire career at Real Sociedad, where he made 344 appearances and scored 97 goals. He started out as an attacking midfielder and in recent seasons he has become a centre-forward. In 2021-22 he had his most successful season, with 15 goals in 33 games. He looked set to be a permanent name on Luis Enrique’s list for the World Cup in Qatar. But a torn ACL has ruled him out.

His return has been gradual. Their numbers in the 2022-23 competition were not the best. However, he has found his best version again this year. He celebrated 14 goals in 44 duels and Luis de la Fuente decided he could give him a chance to get revenge. He has always participated in the European Cup. It was a refreshment for the Spanish attack when Álvaro Morata, captain of the Hispanics questioned, could not participate in the matches. An image that was repeated in the final. “I receive the ball from Dani, I see that Cucu is running and is going to take the lead, I run, I shoot, I touch him and he goes in,” he says, recalling his conquest.

Oyarzabal is not bothered by his secondary role. With his national team he has scored 12 goals. A figure that is not less if we consider that he is a substitute. He had already scored in the Euro Cup, in 2021, against Croatia. This Sunday is undoubtedly the most important goal of his career. He also competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Spain, where he scored three times in six duels and won the silver medal.

Looking back, the striker said a few weeks ago that he now enjoys being able to play football. At that moment, it did not occur to him to be the hero of his country in the final. “I enjoy the day-to-day and being able to train. Just being among the 26 chosen to play in a European Championship seems incredible to me. Injuries are something that no one wants to suffer, but they happen and you have to accept it. Then you give much more value to everything. Obviously you will continue to get angry when you don’t do well, when games go wrong or when you don’t play, but you appreciate in a different way everything that football encompasses,” he told Relevo.

In this sense, he gives great value to Luis de la Fuente, who played a fundamental role in his place in the Spanish team. “He called me, he was worried about me. Maybe until that moment I had not realized all the people who had affection, value or esteem for me and who wrote to me. When something like this happens, it’s appreciated that the people you love send you this little message,” he revealed.