Baena: Spain fear nobody — not even France

Been here before

There is something quietly dangerous about a team that has already beaten you in a knockout game and knows it. Spain carry that into Tuesday evening's World Cup semi-final against France: the memory of Munich in June 2024, the 2-1, the moment Les Bleus went home early while La Roja kept going all the way to the trophy.

Baena has spoken ahead of the match — according to Foot Mercato — making clear he holds no fear of the French side. The exact phrasing of his comments has not been independently verified, and Flagside will update once full quotes are confirmed, but the message is consistent: Spain are not arriving at this semi-final with their heads down.

Why it matters that Baena is saying it

This is not the captain doing the expected pre-match diplomacy. Baena is a player who has grown into this Spain squad with a directness that tends to match his football — quick, sharp, no wasted movement. When he says something, it tends to land with a bit of edge. Telling the world you don't fear France, 48 hours before a World Cup semi-final, is either confidence or provocation. Probably both.

France, for their part, will have noted it. Didier Deschamps has been here before — his side know what Spain can do in transition, know the pace and structure that dismantled them at the Euros, and will not need extra motivation. But bulletin-board material has a way of finding dressing rooms regardless.

Can Spain do it again?

The Euro 2024 win over France was not a fluke — Spain were the better side across that tournament, and their 2-1 victory reflected a genuine tactical edge. Two years on, the core of that squad remains. The question is whether France, who will have spent every day since that Munich defeat thinking about exactly this kind of rematch, arrive as a different proposition.

Baena's answer, apparently, is: it doesn't matter. Spain have done this before. They know how.

He didn't say they'd definitely win. He just said he wasn't scared. Sometimes that's enough.