Mikel Oyarzabal

International career Spain

Oyarzabal represented Spain at under-18, under-19 and under-21 levels. On 17 May 2016, aged 19, he was called up to the senior squad for a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Twelve days later, he replaced Nolito (who had scored) at the hour mark of the 3–1 win.

On 10 June 2019, Oyarzabal scored his first goal, in a 3–0 victory over Sweden in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. In May 2021, he was included in Luis Enrique's 24-man squad for the finals. As a late substitute, he scored the last goal of a 5–3 extra-time win against Croatia in the last 16. In the following round, he scored the last attempt of a penalty shootout defeat of Switzerland (1–1 after 120 minutes).

Oyarzabal was selected for the Olympic squad to compete in Tokyo in 2021. He scored three times for the runners-up, including once in the 2–1 final loss to Brazil. In the 2021 UEFA Nations League final against France on 10 October, he scored the opening goal of the match, but Spain ultimately suffered a 2–1 defeat.

After being absent from the national team at the time of the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to his serious knee injury, Oyarzabal made a provisional list for Euro 2024 on 27 May. He scored his first international hat-trick on 5 June, in a 5–0 friendly win over Andorra prior to the tournament. In the finals in Germany, he played all seven games for the champions, starting once. On 14 July, he scored in the 86th minute in the final to secure a 2–1 victory against England.

Oyarzabal was called by Spain for the 2026 World Cup. On 15 June, in their opener against Cape Verde, he became the first player on record (since 1966) to fail to touch the ball in the first 30 minutes of a World Cup match. In the following fixture, however, he scored twice and also provided an assist for Lamine Yamal in the 4–0 win over Saudi Arabia. In the round of 32, he achieved another brace in the 3–0 defeat of Austria. In the semi-final, he opened the 2–0 victory against France with a penalty after Yamal was fouled by Lucas Digne; the goal was his fifth of the tournament, equaling the record for the most by a Spanish player in a single edition previously achieved by Emilio Butragueño and David Villa. He also scored his 30th international goal for Spain, becoming the sixth-highest in the nation's history.

Basque Country Oyarzabal featured for the non-affiliated Basque Country national team, scoring on his debut to cap a 3–1 win over Tunisia at the San Mamés Stadium on 30 December 2016.

Personal life Oyarzabal combined his early professional career with studying for a business degree at the University of Deusto. with their son being born in December 2023.

Career statistics Club

International

runner-up: 2017

Spain U23 Summer Olympics silver medal: 2020 UEFA European Championship: 2024 UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2020–21, 2024–25

Individual La Liga Team of the Season: 2025–26 La Liga Player of the Month: October 2020 La Liga Play of the Month: March 2024 (with Mikel Merino)