Called up for World Cup Balde was called into Spain's World Cup roster as a replacement for the injured Jose Gaya (ankle), the RFEF announced Friday. Impact An expected move after Balde narrowly missed out on a call-up in the first place, he'll head to Qatar to compete with club teammate Jordi Alba for minutes at left-back. As Balde often starts over Alba for Barcelona it will be interesting to see how the two split minutes for their national side, for which Alba is the preferred option now that Gaya is unavailable with a sprained ankle.
NOVEMBER 18, 2022 • ROTOWIRE