According to AS, Spanish football is witnessing the return of the traditional centre-forward, whose primary hunting ground is the penalty area. Young strikers under 25 such as Gonçalo, Estupiñán, Marc Guiu, Samu, and Roberta are reviving the No. 9 role, which many thought had become extinct.

For years, the penalty area seemed an uncomfortable place for Spanish football. Spain learned to succeed without a traditional centre-forward, scoring through agile, cooperative players who could move freely across the attacking line. They even won Euro 2012 with Cesc Fàbregas playing as a false nine. Those days now feel like another era. Spanish football is rebuilding a forward line that prioritizes goalscoring over possession. These players don't need to venture far from the penalty area to be involved in the game. Gonçalo, Estupiñán, Marc Guiu, Samu, and Roberta—all under 25—are reviving a role that appeared close to extinction for years: the goal-hungry No. 9.

To understand why their return is striking, we must look back. Morientes was one of the last easily recognizable Spanish centre-forward prototypes: tall, strong, commanding in the air, with an uncanny instinct for being in the right place at the right time. The penalty area was his domain. Morientes once told AS: "Playing on the wing is for other types of players. I've always backed the pure centre-forward, the traditional No. 9. Every team needs a player like that. They give you so many options."

After him came Fernando Torres, whose main strength was attacking space, and David Villa, who could play as a No. 9 but started from the left wing and contributed to creating attacking play outside the penalty area. Spain began developing forwards who saw attack as a continuous process of movement—the more movement, the less necessary the No. 9 seemed.

When Spain Abandoned the No. 9

Euro 2012 may be the clearest example of that evolution. Spain had Fernando Torres, Negredo, and Llorente available. However, Del Bosque found a solution that perfectly suited the team's style: dropping the centre-forward and deploying Cesc as a false nine.

The "smaller players" won that battle. The centre-forward didn't disappear from the national team, but it was no longer essential. A contradiction emerged. Spain continued developing No. 9s, but many struggled to establish themselves. Negredo, Llorente, and later Diego Costa all had legitimate claims to the position, yet none became a consistent standard. Being Spain's No. 9 became exceptionally difficult because the system required forwards to adapt to a team that rarely used them as an attacking reference point. The result was a revolving door of names and different profiles, all searching for a role that seemed increasingly unnecessary.

This philosophy had profound consequences. Over the following years, Spain continued to favor forwards who could do many things rather than just one. Rodrigo Moreno, Adrián, Morata, Oyarzabal, and Fernando Torres, each with distinct characteristics, exemplified this evolution.

Forwards Moving Away from the Penalty Area

Oyarzabal and Fernando Torres are the clearest examples of this recent period. They are goalscorers, but not classical penalty-area strikers. They need freedom. They can play centrally, start from the wing, or interchange positions. Their value isn't just finishing; it's everything that leads to it.

Spain found solutions in players like them, and occasionally when Merino played as a false nine. This is how the national team reached the point of winning the World Cup for a second time this summer without relying on a pure centre-forward.

But football has a fascinating way of looking back. Young players are now emerging from the academy who seem to suggest the position may never have truly died—just been waiting.

The New No. 9s

There is something notable in how Gonçalo, Estupiñán, Samu, Roberta, and Marc Guiu understand the game. They are forwards who want to stay near goal. They don't need to be involved in every pass to feel part of the match.

Each does this differently. Gonçalo and Estupiñán show clear finishing instincts. Marc Guiu and Roberta, the latter called up for the first time after scoring six goals early in the season, provide physical presence. Samu may be the clearest example of what this generation can offer: long strides, explosive running, and the ability to beat centre-backs. They come from a different era of players, yet there is something timeless in their football vocabulary: goalscoring.

De la Fuente commented on Roberta's inclusion in the latest squad: "We've been following Roberta closely, and his moment has arrived. He's performing very well, has scored six goals, and fits perfectly with the alternative attacking options we're seeking." Spain will clearly not abandon players who can drift wide, contribute to build-up play, or interchange positions. Oyarzabal and Fernando Torres remain valuable options. The difference is there are now alternatives.

For years, the first question about Spain's No. 9 was what he could contribute outside the penalty area. Now a different question has regained importance: how much damage can he inflict when he chooses to stay in the box?

From Morientes, the penalty-area protector, to Fernando Torres, the space attacker; from Villa, who could start from the wing, to Cesc's false nine; from Negredo, Llorente, and Diego Costa, who never became consistent standards in the national team, to Morata, Oyarzabal, and Fernando Torres; and now to Gonçalo, Estupiñán, Roberta, Samu, and Marc Guiu—perhaps the No. 9 never truly disappeared. It was simply waiting for its moment to return.

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