Fabián Ruiz reached the pinnacle of football with Spain, but his story began far from the spotlight. The midfielder grew up in Los Palacios y Villafranca, in the province of Seville, in a humble family marked by his mother’s hard work.
His parents separated when he was 12 years old, and his mother had to support 3 children on her own. In addition to worrying about the home, school, and the family routine, she also took him to train at Real Betis, the club Fabián joined when he was 8 years old.
Over time, she got a job at Betis itself as a locker room attendant. Fabián recalled that as a child he was embarrassed to see her cleaning where he changed, but later he understood the magnitude of that sacrifice. Today, as a world champion, that story carries more weight than any statistic ❤️