The young midfielder from Real Madrid, Thiago Pitarch, has been called up by Spain’s U18 national team, effectively halting the efforts of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to convince him to join their ranks. According to the newspaper Marca, this decision comes after Morocco, through former international Nourredine Naybet, attempted to integrate him into their U18 national team, drawn by his promising profile and his development within Spanish football.
Trained at Atlético Madrid before moving to Getafe and Leganés, Thiago now plays with the Real Madrid youth team, where he notably participated in the Youth League under Álvaro Arbeloa. Although he had never been called up by Spain at youth level before, his consistent progress led coach David Tenorio to invite him for a three-day training camp in Las Rozas. This move clearly signals the RFEF’s intention to secure dual-nationality talents before other federations can attract them.