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#3 Eric Garcia
Eric Garcia was another Spain player who had a decent night but imploded in the crucial moments. Garcia had a solid first half, with the young centre-back keeping a pacy France attack at bay. The Spaniard kept a close eye on the likes of Mbappe and Benzema, not allowing them much space to work with.
However, Garcia's defining mistake in the final came during Mbappe's winner when his deflection played the French star onside. While some would argue that the offside rule is unfair, the centre-back should not have stridden towards Theo Hernandez's pass, as Mbappe was clearly offside.
Calmness is a pivotal trait for a defender to succeed. While Garcia is clearly talented, he should have been more composed, as his deflection led to France's winner.
#2 Ferran Torres
Ferran Torres is a man in form. The winger displayed his worth in the semi-final against Italy, so much was expected from him in the final. But Torres failed to make a mark, and could not trouble a three-man French defence.
The 21-year-old did cause trouble on the flanks, but lacked the end product in front of goal. So his hard work eventually went without recognition on the night. The Spain forward was barely in the game during the second half, and clearly lacked the fitness to play 90 minutes in the high voltage encounter.
Torres has performed superly in the 2021-22 campaign so far. But he remains a work in progress as has seen in his quiet outing against France in the Nations League final.
#1 Pablo Sarabia
Arguably the quietest player on the pitch for Spain in the Nations League final was Pablo Sarabia. Against some of the best defenders in the game, Sarabia looked uncharacteristically devoid of ideas. The 29-year old did not offer much for Spain in attack, and lacked the output like his compatriot, Ferran Torres.
The winger simply did not have the pace or the trickery to cause trouble for France. Spain needed something extra to break down France's resolute defence, but could not do so, thanks to Sarabia's toothless outing.
The winger was unable to capitalise on France defender Jules Kounde giving the ball away cheaply, which could have been a turning point in the game for Spain. Due to his poor showing, he was subbed out by Luis Enrique around the hour mark.
