Dani Olmo emerged as a standout player in Euro 2024, but the Spanish international has been excelling at the club level for some time. Let’s delve into Olmo’s skills and abilities.
One key difference between international football and club football is the challenge of evenly distributing talent across positions in a squad, which is often nearly impossible to control.
Even with a strategic focus on developing defenders who excel in building from the back, there’s no assurance that these players will emerge precisely when needed. For instance, by the 2030 World Cup, a nation might have two exceptional full-backs but lack central defenders of similar quality.
In club football, if a top centre-back is needed to complete a four-man defense, a few phone calls can secure one within days.
Take England as an example. At Euro 2024, only four players were directly involved in over 40 goals for a club in Europe’s top five leagues the previous season. Three of these players were Englishmen—Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, and Cole Palmer—while the fourth was Kylian Mbappé. Despite Watkins and Palmer’s suitability for most teams in the competition, neither started a single match due to Gareth Southgate’s squad composition.
Spain faced a similar issue with their No. 10 position. Pedri, a standout at Euro 2020, is highly valued in the national team. Dani Olmo is a top-tier European player who consistently performs for Spain. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s Fermín López finished the season strongly and seemed to fit La Roja’s high-pressing style, and Álex Baena, who assisted 17 goals in the previous season, was only surpassed by Florian Wirtz with 19 assists in Europe’s top five leagues.
Even when limited to choosing between Pedri and Olmo, one of Germany’s finest attacking midfield talents would be left out.
As we know, Spain convincingly won Euro 2024. Despite starting the tournament on the bench, Olmo earned a spot in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament—a scenario that seemed unlikely for some time. If not for a tackle by Toni Kroos that prematurely ended Pedri’s campaign, Olmo’s memorable performance, now a part of Spanish football history, might have been overshadowed by the team’s depth.
With five direct goal involvements in six appearances (three goals, two assists)—including goals in the last 16, quarter-final, and semi-final matches—Olmo went from starting on the bench to driving a historically strong Spain side to glory, establishing himself among Europe’s elite in his position.
Will Dani Olmo join Barcelona?
Reports indicate that Barcelona is considering a move for Olmo and is formulating a strategy to acquire him. However, securing his services might prove challenging, with a potential cost of around €100 million to bring him onboard.
Olmo’s High Technical Ceiling in Tight Spaces Sets Him Apart
A standout performance in a tournament inevitably draws attention. However, beyond the goals, assists, and match-winning contributions that garner the spotlight, Olmo’s Euro 2024 performance showcased a subtlety in his play that transcended merely being in the right place at the right time.
In addition to the 26-year-old’s versatility in attacking roles, he consistently demonstrated an ability to operate in the most crowded areas of the pitch, skillfully avoiding being boxed in and frequently making decisive contributions from these challenging positions.
In tournament football, where defensive strategies aim to frustrate opponents, Olmo’s central prowess transformed Spain from a dynamic attacking team into one that seemed unstoppable, capable of causing damage across every area of the pitch.
Among players who had over 100 touches at Euro 2024, the only one with a higher percentage of touches made under pressure than Olmo (89.5%) was Mbappé (91%).
While the Real Madrid forward is the player all opposition managers highlight on their tactics board, ensuring he is constantly marked whenever he has the ball, Olmo’s crowd was more a result of his role for Spain. Indeed, navigating and attacking the central areas that defending teams aim to protect is an art he has perfected over the years with both club and country.
Luis de la Fuente sought a presence between the lines who could disrupt the defensive shape and continuously challenge whether he was the responsibility of a defender or a midfielder for the opposition. The available space in that area is often limited, and only the sharpest players can thrive there. Positioned between those two lines, Olmo’s presence invites the risk of being dispossessed from every direction.
Fortunately for Spain, Olmo is exceptionally sharp. While he ranked second only to Mbappé for the percentage of touches made under pressure, the only player who was more directly involved in generating open play shots per 90 minutes in Germany was his teammate Lamine Yamal.
Throughout the tournament, the Catalan midfielder consistently provided solutions on the half-turn, skillfully balancing between creating shooting opportunities for himself and combining with teammates to facilitate chance creation. Once in threatening positions, defenders were left uncertain about his next move.
What sets Olmo apart is his speed and precision in transitioning from receiving the ball to executing his next action within crowded areas. His first significant involvement at Euro 2024 demonstrated this perfectly: he halted a run beyond the defense to collect the ball between the lines, swiveled into position, and set up Ferran Torres to open the scoring against Albania.
While the final action varied, this pattern was evident throughout the summer. Olmo’s ability to penetrate the heart of the opponent’s defense and navigate his way out with effective results made him one of the most formidable attacking threats of the tournament.
Of course, the first step involves getting oneself free in the first place. Since a young age, Olmo has put considerable thought into how to move on the pitch relative to the opposition. His father, Miquel Olmo, a former player and manager in the professional game, taught Dani how to navigate the action in his formative years.
“We talked about how to improve controlling [the ball], how to orient myself quicker. I wasn’t making technical or footballing errors, but more those related to positioning,” Olmo shared in a mid-tournament interview with El Pais. “He told me I had to pay more attention to how the game was unfolding, to think about what was happening with the play. He taught me to read the games.”
When Olmo can’t be found between the lines as a first option, the threat is far from over. The RB Leipzig player has spent years thinking about and mastering crowded midfield spaces, where there is no single solution to getting free as a receiver. Sometimes standing still is the best option; other times, it requires dynamic, well-timed movements to deceive his markers, as demonstrated in the passage of play from the Euro 2024 final in Berlin.
There was the option of sitting back and not allowing Olmo to advance beyond the midfield, but even that didn’t lessen his impact. As a player capable of playing on the wing, his talent as a ball carrier isn’t limited to moments when he’s free to receive in wide areas. Whether spinning out on the half-turn in one of the inside channels or dropping deeper to pick up an easy pass, Olmo can take markers out of the game through his own movements.
He completed 14 take-ons at Euro 2024, the most by a Spain player in a single edition of the tournament since Lobo Carrasco in 1984 (16). Moreover, his take-on success rate (67%) was the highest of any Spanish player to attempt 20 or more take-ons in a single tournament since records began in 1980.
Dani Olmo’s Attributes Are Highly Valuable in Modern Football
The timing of Olmo’s performance at Euro 2024 is significant in the context of broader trends in the game. On the grand stage, under the brightest lights, he executed a role that is highly prized in modern football to an exceptional degree.
Regardless of the terminology used—be it the 3-2-5, the box midfield, the front five, or another variation—the rise of certain tactical systems has heightened the value of attacking midfielders who excel in the central pockets. Throughout the 2023-24 club season and Euro 2024, the prevalence of teams attacking with a front five—comprising two wide players, two inside attackers, and a centre-forward—was widespread across various levels of team strength.
While tactical systems and their popularity may shift over time, the value of players who can dismantle opponents from central positions remains constant. “It’s impossible to play well if you don’t pass the ball through the middle,” Pep Guardiola once said.
While some teams employ variations of the above to introduce an ‘extra midfielder’, providing greater control with four central players, others use similar approaches to overwhelm the opposition’s defense. For instance, in Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Valencia in April, the attacking five outnumber the back four, meaning that defenders must contend with more than one player.
Valencia’s determination to block passes through the center highlights their awareness of the potential danger from a player receiving the ball between the lines. Even before touching the ball, Barcelona’s inside presence has already impacted the opposition’s defensive strategy.
While positional advantages are evident for players with the right profiles, positioning is only part of the equation. The challenge of finding space between the lines, coupled with the need to control the ball, make quick decisions, and execute the next move effectively, means that such players are rare.
At Euro 2024, Olmo approached the gold standard, blending technical skills with match-winning class. Rather than an overnight emergence of an unlikely hero, his tournament performance was more a culmination of a career enriched with diverse influences, gradually reaching its final form.
At 26 years old and on the cusp of his prime years, Olmo’s performances at Euro 2024 would undoubtedly have caught the eye of Europe’s top teams. After honing his skills as a youth at Barcelona’s renowned La Masia, he made an unconventional transition to professional football with Dinamo Zagreb. He has since spent the past four years refining his game in German football with RB Leipzig. During this period, Olmo has combined the attributes of a winger with those of a number 10, benefiting from the distinct tactical philosophies of both his club and national team.
From the technical prowess developed at La Masia to his recent experiences in Leipzig, the direct attacking style Olmo has refined in Germany perfectly complemented De la Fuente’s revamped Spain squad at Euro 2024. While the national team retained their characteristic pass-and-move quality, their direct approach in the final third allowed Olmo to showcase his abilities spectacularly.
With the 2024-25 club season just around the corner, Olmo’s next move is one of the summer’s most intriguing storylines. His statement, “I want to win titles,” made earlier this month, hints at a possible transfer, despite RB Leipzig being unlikely to make his exit straightforward now that his reported release clause appears to have expired.
Following his best scoring season at club level and an exceptional performance at the tournament, a player of Olmo’s caliber, especially as he nears his prime, will attract significant interest from many clubs. Although he has faced injury challenges in the past, his peak form—especially in today’s coveted specialist role—remains elusive for most teams.
Euro 2024 has added an air of mystique to Olmo’s profile, and his future prospects will certainly spark excitement. For RB Leipzig, whether they retain him or secure a substantial transfer fee, the situation remains highly advantageous.
