After starting his 2026 World Cup finals campaign on the bench during the opening match against Cape Verde, Dani Olmo quickly became a cornerstone of coach Luis de la Fuente's lineup, and he is expected to lead Spain's attack against France on Tuesday in the semifinal.

This match comes as part of intense competition in which Spain seeks to regain its global football glory.

Given the possession-based style, Olmo's participation seems inevitable, thanks to his ability to connect midfield and attack.

De la Fuente said at the start of the tournament: 'He is a master at playing between the lines.'

The 28-year-old Barcelona star is enjoying a remarkable period of brilliance. Although his talent and playmaking abilities have never been in doubt throughout his career, injuries have prevented him from achieving the necessary consistency, which has likely deprived him of a more impactful international presence.

Olmo said before the match against Belgium: 'My life and career have been like this, I always have to prove who I am, but that is not a problem, it's a challenge I set for myself, to prove it again, as I have always done,' adding that, unlike his teammates, he had to emigrate outside Spain as a teenager to build his football future.

Olmo... trained at La Masia, Barcelona's youth academy, but in 2014, at the age of 16, he decided to leave for a different experience (Reuters)

Emigration for success

He trained at La Masia, Barcelona's youth academy, but in 2014, at the age of 16, he decided to leave the club due to the difficulty of joining the first team, which at the time included players like Andrés Iniesta and Xavi.

But instead of moving to another major club in Europe, he and his family chose to go to Dinamo Zagreb, a club with a good reputation for developing young talents (Luka Modrić, for example, came through there), but far from the limelight of the major leagues.

Olmo previously said: 'In Croatia, the culture was different, and I learned a lot physically.'

He added: 'In Spain, the focus was more on the ball, especially at Barcelona (...) but Croatia benefited me a lot. I was 16 years old, and I was training with national team players who played in the World Cup. It was a big step for me. It made me develop physically and mentally because the game was faster.'

And in Zagreb, his name began to emerge, before he moved to Leipzig where he honed his talent in the German league, until he returned to Barcelona exactly two years ago.

He is considered a key element in German coach Hansi Flick's team thanks to his ability to play between the lines and open spaces for his teammates, as well as his goal contributions: 20 goals and 17 assists in 88 matches with the Catalan club.

Olmo returned to Barcelona after establishing himself as a prominent star (AFP)

With De la Fuente in the youth categories

De la Fuente did not need to see him at Barcelona to call him up to the national team. As is the case with several 2026 World Cup players (Unai Simón, Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Fabián Ruiz), Olmo won the under-19 European Championship in 2019 under his leadership.

Two years later, he called him up again for the Tokyo Olympics, where Spain won the silver medal, although he had already made his debut with the senior national team and scored a goal just 3 minutes after entering the pitch in the Euro qualifier against Malta in 2019.

He participated in Euro 2021 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but his most notable achievements with La Roja came under De la Fuente, winning the UEFA Nations League in 2023, being runner-up in 2025, and winning the European Championship in 2024, and now he has reached the semifinals of the North America World Cup.

De la Fuente values Olmo's dynamism in attacking play, his ability to make a difference, and his effort in pressing.

The number 10 of the red national team said before the quarterfinal against Belgium: 'We are a team where everyone attacks and everyone defends. The coach says that the first defender is the striker, and the rest follow him.'

Olmo shows great determination to prove himself after a professional journey that started early outside Spain. Since joining his country's national team, he has proven his worth whenever given the opportunity, making him one of the most prominent attacking weapons for La Roja in this tournament. The question remains: will Olmo continue his brilliance to lead Spain to the final?