Dani Olmo sat on the bench in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup against Cape Verde, but he quickly imposed himself in the starting lineup of coach Luis de la Fuente, and is expected to be the engine of the Spanish attack in the semi-final against France on Tuesday.

Olmo's rise to the starting lineup reflects coach De la Fuente's confidence in his tactical and technical abilities, and his pivotal role in linking the midfield and attack.

With a style based on ball possession, Olmo's presence seems essential, thanks to his ability to connect the midfield and attack.

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

The 28-year-old Barcelona player is experiencing his best period; while few doubt his talent and playmaking ability, he has suffered from a lack of continuity due to injuries, which probably deprived him of a broader 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 is a challenge I set for myself, to prove it again, as I have always done,' adding that, unlike his colleagues, he had to emigrate outside Spain as a teenager to build his football future.

Immigration for success

Olmo grew up in La Masia, Barcelona's breeding ground, but in 2014 when he was 16, he chose to leave the club due to the difficulty of reaching the first team, which was full of players like Andrés Iniesta and Xavi.

But instead of moving to another big 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 it), but far from the spotlight of the major leagues.

Olmo previously said: 'In Croatia, the culture was different and I learned a lot physically. In Spain, the focus was more on the ball, especially at Barcelona (...) but Croatia benefited me a lot. I was 16 years old and 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.'

In Zagreb, his name began to emerge, before moving 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 coach Hansi Flick's team thanks to his ability to play between the lines and create space for his teammates, as well as his goal contribution: 20 goals and 17 assists in 88 matches for the Catalan club.

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 for a number of 2026 World Cup players (Unai Simón, Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Fabián Ruiz), Olmo won the European Under-19 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 made his first international appearance with the senior team and scored a goal just three minutes after entering the pitch in the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Malta in 2019.

He participated in the European Championship in summer 2021 and the World Cup in Qatar 2022, but his most notable achievements with 'La Roja' came with 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 reaches the semi-final of the North American World Cup.

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

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

It is expected that De la Fuente will rely on Olmo's abilities to find spaces between the lines of the French defense, benefiting from his remarkable form with Barcelona this season (20 goals and 17 assists). Olmo has proven he can change the course of matches, making him a trump card for the Spanish national team in the semi-final encounter.