A few months from  2026 World Cup in Qatar The debates are already starting around the selections. And inevitably, with the incredible pool of talent available to Spain, one question keeps coming up:  Which eight players will Juanjo Gutiérrez take to Doha? 

When questioned about the subject on his YouTube channel,  Arturo Coello  agreed to play along. The world number 1 gave his own selection and slipped in a little surprise for eighth place:  Aimar Goñi .

Seven names that seem essential for Coello

When a supporter asked him what his squad would be if he were the national team coach, Coello immediately acknowledged the difficulty of the task:  "It's complicated, but I'm going to give it a shot." 

He then names seven players:  Alejandro Galán, Juan Lebrón, Paquito Navarro, Mike Yanguas, Jon Sanz, Coki Nieto and himself .

A selection which obviously brings together a huge amount of talent and above all several different profiles, leaving many possibilities when it comes to building the pairs.

But it is the choice of the eighth player that is attracting the most attention.

Aimar Goñi rather than Garrido, Leal or Momo

For this last spot, Coello hesitates between several players and directly cites  Javi Garrido, Javi Leal and Momo Gonzalez  among the other candidates.

His choice ultimately fell on  Aimar Goñi .

«  The last one, the one that sparks debate, with all due respect and affection for the other three, Garrido, Leal, and Momo, I would choose Aimar Goñi  " explains Coello.

An interesting choice since Goñi brings a different profile and has gradually established himself among the players to watch on the circuit.

The selection envisioned by Coello would therefore consist of  Arturo Coello, Alejandro Galán, Juan Lebrón, Paquito Navarro, Mike Yanguas, Jon Sanz, Coki Nieto and Aimar Goñi .

A multitude of possibilities for Spain

It remains to be seen, of course, how these players could be combined.

That's what makes a World Team Championship so special:  The usual pairs can be completely rearranged. The coaches must find the right balance between automatic responses, complementarity and form.

Spain has an impressive number of possibilities at this level.  Coello, Galán, Lebrón, Yanguas, Sanz, Nieto or Navarro  have already demonstrated their ability to evolve with different partners.

And with players like  Garrido, Leal, Momo González or Goñi  In the competition to make the final selection, the last choices will not be easy.

The last word goes to Juanjo Gutiérrez

Coello himself acknowledges that this list is obviously only a personal prediction.

«  It's my choice, but since it's not me who decides, it doesn't depend on me.  ", recalls the world number 1.

The responsibility will fall to  Juanjo Gutiérrez , Spanish national team coach during the last major international competitions.

He will notably have to determine whether he wishes to prioritize  current state of fitness , the automatic understanding between certain players or profiles capable of bringing something different to a competition where the composition of the three pairs can tip the balance of a match.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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