Luis Enrique is one of the toughest national team managers in Europe since his call ups are usually controversial and some journalists have accused him of only bringing his 'friends' to the national team, but this time neither Pique nor Iago Aspas were called up.
Aspas is a 35-year veteran, a smart forward player with almost 200 goals playing in the Spanish La Liga, but playing for the national team he has only 6 goals in 18 appearances.
The last time Aspas played for the national team was at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia where he scored a goal that took Spain to the Knockout Stage, but it should be noted that Aspas missed a penalty against Russia.
Why is Iago Aspas missing the Qatar 2022 World Cup?
Apparently Iago Aspas didn't make it to Spain's national team list due to a decision by the manager, Luis Enrique, probably related to the Aspas age and knowing that there are young players who have scored more goals with the national team like Alvaro Morata or Ferran Torres.
Aspas is a key player for La Liga team Celta, in 388 appearances he has scored more than 170 goals. Aspas played a couple of seasons with Liverpool where he was never able to score a single goal in 14 appearances.
Aspas is likely to announce his national team retirement after the 2022 World Cup, but he could play for Spain during the Nations League in 2023. The World Cup 2022 predictions for Spain without Aspas on the roster are slightly better, but his experience will be missed.