It has been a heady rise for Spain striker Daniel González Güiza. The previously unsung 27-year-old RCD Mallorca forward forced himself into the reckoning for UEFA EURO 2008 after finishing the season as the Primera División's leading scorer, and has seized his chance here with two goals in three appearances. It is an impressive return for a player who only made his international debut in Spain's final qualifier against Northern Ireland in November.
Güiza scored the winner against Greece in Spain's final Group D game then hit another in the 3-0 semi-final victory against Russia, flicking the ball over Igor Akinfeev after being played through by Cesc Fàbregas. With David Villa injured, coach Luis Aragonés is likely to give either Güiza or Fàbregas a starting role in the final against Germany and the Mallorca man is desperate for the chance.
"Of course you dream, and my dream has always been to play in the final with the Spanish national team," he said. "Now we have the opportunity and we have to see if we can make it happen. [Villa] is an important player for us. He has had a great EURO and he deserved to participate in the final with us. But, we have to continue and focus on this important match now. There are more players."
Fàbregas key
Aragonés will choose between the 4-4-2 system that has brought such success so far or switch to 4-5-1 as he did against Russia following Villa's injury. The feeling is he will go for the latter to accommodate Cesc Fàbregas, who swung the momentum in an even semi-final Spain's way after replacing Villa on 34 minutes. The Arsenal FC midfielder had a part to play in all three Spain goals, picking out Andrés Iniesta who crossed for Xavi Hernández to score the first, teeing up Güiza for the second then feeding David Silva to complete the scoring on 82 minutes.
"He [Fabregas] was fantastic," concedes Güiza. "He is a great player and of the highest quality. My goal was mainly due to his assist."
The question now is which of the two will replace Villa in the side for the final. "I keep on training hard and then it's up to the coach to decide," Güiza said. "I don't know, of course it crosses my mind, but I have no idea."
Daniel Güiza was born at August 17, 1980 in Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz.
Source: euro2008.uefa.com
Photo: ©Getty Images / uefa.com
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