Quizmasters generally avoid asking “What links…” questions because a cunning quizzer can usually come up with a viable answer to connect almost any two things. Anyone saying that Palace and Sociedad are connected by their regal links might be correct, but they are not right, at least as far as we are concerned. Equally, answering that they were both founded in the first decade of the 20th century is true but it is not the answer required here.
Instead, and rather more interestingly, even though we say so ourselves, is the fact that these two relative minnows provided the most players in the English and Spanish squads respectively for Euro 2024. Traditionally one might expect the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United or Liverpool to produce the most players for England, whilst in Spain powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Barcelona or Atletico Madrid would be the obvious options.
However, things have changed, and as a side note, Spain’s squad for the Euro 2020 was the first to head to a major tournament without a single player from Real Madrid. Real have three players in Luis de la Fuente’s group for the 2024 tournament in Germany but it is another Real – Sociedad – who lead the way with five players in the Spanish squad. For the record, Barcelona have four representatives, but let’s take a look at Sociedad’s five.
Real Sociedad
Robin Le Normand
The unusually named Le Normand was born in France but joined Sociedad from Brest at the age of 19. The centre back obtained Spanish nationality recently, in 2023, and at the time of writing has 15 caps for his adopted country. His only goal for Spain came against Georgia in qualifying for this tournament but he is a regular for club and country.
Mikel Merino
Merino is a tall midfielder who wins a huge number of duels in the middle of the park and who has played 21 times for his country. He started against Albania at Euro 2024, also being used off the bench at times. Newcastle United fans may remember him from a spell with the club in 2017 and 2018, with the Basque side paying the Magpies around €12m to bring Merino to the club. Merino has won the Euros at both U19 and U21 levels and will hope to complete an impressive hat-trick.
Alex Remiro
The 29-year-old Remiro has made just one appearance for his national side, in 2024, and is very much a reserve goalkeeper. At 6ft 4in he is a commanding presence and over the past five years he has nailed down the number one spot with his club, appearing 221 times for Sociedad in all. He was part of the group that won the Copa del Rey in 2019/20.
Martin Zubimendi
Zubimendi joined Real Sociedad as a young boy and was developed by their impressive youth system. The defensive midfielder is a brilliant metronome in the centre of the pitch and is the sort of player that Gareth Southgate has bemoaned England’s lack of. He made his Spain debut in 2021 before falling out of favour but played alongside club teammate Merino as part of a defensive shield in a 4-2-3-1 formation when Spain rang the changes against Albania.
Mikel Oyarzabal
Oyarzabal is another with age-group international honours, in his case the U21 Euros in 2019. Like so many Real Sociedad players he is a proud Basque and played for the region’s unofficial “national” team in 2016. He made his full Spain bow in 2016 but was in and out of the team before becoming more established in 221 when he earned 10 caps. He now boasts 34 appearances for Spain and 11 goals and was another to start the clash with Albania at this tournament.
The Four Palace Players Making the Grade for England
Over the years, 1,282 different players have represented the Three Lions, and it is a Crystal Palace midfielder, Adam Wharton, who is given the “legacy number” of 1,282 by the FA as the most recent – for now at least – cap. Overall Palace have not provided all that many footballers for the national side, and they certainly do not feature in the top 10 in that regard.
However, when it comes to Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024, it is indeed the Eagles that lead the way. Here are their fab four in Germany.
Adam Wharton
We may as well start with Wharton, a man who is yet to get on the pitch at Euro 2024 at the time of writing and was something of a “bolter” even to make the squad. In January 2024 Wharton was playing in the Championship but Palace paid £18m (initially) to bring the combative midfielder to the club. He settled in brilliantly and was part of the club’s strong finish to the PL season. His physical attributes and reading of the game mean he could go on to be a key player for England in the years ahead.
Marc Guehi
Guehi holds legacy number 1,268 and made his debut for the Three Lions in 2022. He played six times the following year but 12 months ago nobody would have predicted he would be starting alongside John Stones in the centre of defence. He was part of the England U17 team that won the World Cup in 2017 and is a calm, composed presence who reads the game superbly and offers good pace.
Eberechi Eze
Eze was released by several clubs, including Arsenal and Fulham, as a youth, but finally made his way to QPR when he was able to shine. In 2020 Palace paid £17m for the services of the attacking midfielder and that looks like a bargain, with several clubs linked to him. His silky touch, the time he seems to have on the ball, and his ability to glide past defenders are highly valued and he has been used off the bench at Euro 2024.
Dean Henderson
Keeper Henderson is unlikely to feature at the Euros and is probably third choice behind Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale. He boasts just one England cap but won the U20 World Cup in 2017 and will hope to challenge for the goalkeeper’s jersey in the years ahead.