50 Beats of Dani Olmo

At 28 years of age, Dani Olmo is one of the most experienced and influential players in the national team setup. The Terrassa-born midfielder now belongs to the select group of footballers who have represented Spain at least fifty times—only 48 players have achieved this milestone in over a century of international football—and he is also among the top thirty all-time leading scorers for the Spanish national team.

After progressing steadily through the youth ranks, from Under-16 to Under-23 level, his major breakthrough came in November 2019 with his first call-up to the senior national team. Olmo made his debut in Cádiz in a 7–0 victory for Spain against Malta. At the time, the Catalan midfielder was playing for Dinamo Zagreb. He came on in the 66th minute, replacing Álvaro Morata, and needed just three minutes to mark a dream debut, scoring Spain’s fifth goal of the night from a pass by Thiago Alcântara.

That match against Malta was only the beginning—both in terms of appearances and goals—of a journey that, as of last Monday in Spain’s World Cup opener against Cape Verde, has now reached fifty caps. Over the years, Spain’s number 10 has been a consistent presence in the plans of every national team coach and a key figure in the team’s successes, including the UEFA Euro 2024 triumph and the 2023 Nations League title. He also won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship and an Olympic silver medal at Tokyo 2020.

All of Dani Olmo’s achievements with the national team have come under the guidance of Luis de la Fuente, both at youth level and with the senior squad. Together, the coach from La Rioja and the Barcelona-born midfielder will aim to achieve another milestone for Spanish football, seeking to secure a second World Cup star at the FIFA World Cup being held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which will crown its twenty-third champion on 19 July.