In the second round of Group B matches in the European Championship, Spain faced Italy. The starting lineups were announced, with Real Madrid captain Nacho missing from the Spanish squad, being replaced by former Manchester City center-back Aymeric Laporte.
In the first round, a 3-0 victory over Croatia, Nacho partnered with Jules Koundé in central defense. However, for this highly anticipated clash against Italy, Nacho was not included in the squad, and the central defensive partnership became Koundé alongside Laporte.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) explained Nacho’s absence from the starting lineup prior to the match. Their official statement simply stated that Nacho was unable to start due to muscle discomfort, but did not specify whether he would be unavailable for the entire game. Nacho hasn’t had an especially injury-prone year, although he did miss two weeks in February due to a muscle issue.