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Fabian Ruiz unbeaten record: Spain midfielder holds improbable international streak without defeat
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Fabian Ruiz unbeaten record: Spain midfielder holds improbable international streak without defeat originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
As the defending FIFA World Cup champions Spain begin the next four-year cycle in the hopes of defending their global title, one player has a personal streak on the line as well.
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Spain and PSG midfielder Fabian Ruiz may not be the world's biggest superstar, but he has been one of the most successful international players in the history of the game so far.
The 30-year-old has never lost on the international level, a streak that is now over 50 games long. This has brought him untold success, having won a World Cup title, a European championship, and other trophies alongside.
The Sporting News brings you a breakdown of the improbable streak Fabian Ruiz is currently on and how it stands against others in the sport.
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Fabian Ruiz international unbeaten streak
With Fabian Ruiz on the field in some capacity, Spain have gone an incredible 52 games unbeatenin international competition.
Ruiz has never been on the field for a defeat at the international level.
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Wins:37
-
Draws:15
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Losses:0
Of note, the penalty defeat to Portugal in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League final officially counts as a draw for team records, since the match itself played out to a 2-2 draw after extra-time, meaning a penalty shootout decided the match. A penalty shootout does not count as part of the official match when it comes to record-keeping.
Previously, the best unbeaten record in international football was owned by Jens Stryger Larsen , who went 36 games unbeaten to begin his international career before he suffered a 1-0 defeat to Finland in the group stage of Euro 2020 (which took place in June 2021).
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Ruiz is also just a few games shy of the all-time unbeaten streak at any point in a career, owned by Carlos Marchena who went 57 games unbeaten throughout the middle of his international time. However, Ruiz's streak to start an international career is still better, since Marchena lost on just his seventh international cap before the streak began, one which would not be broken until a 4-1 friendly defeat to Argentina in 2010, a full seven years later.
All-time international unbeaten streaks
| Player |
Nation |
From-To |
Games unbeaten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Marchena |
Spain |
2003-2010 |
57 |
| Fabian Ruiz |
Spain |
2019-Present |
52 |
| Aldair |
1990-1998 |
50 |
|
| Garrincha |
Brazil |
1955-1966 |
49 |
| 2023-2026 |
41 |
||
| Zinedine Zidane |
1997-2001 |
39 |
|
| William Gallas |
France |
2004-2008 |
39 |
| Xavi |
Spain |
2000-2006 |
38 |
| Brazil |
2014-2019 |
37 |
|
| Julen Guerrero |
Spain |
1993-1999 |
37 |
Spain unbeaten international streak
It helps, of course, that Fabian Ruiz is playing for a Spain team on an international unbeaten streak of its own.
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Spain have not suffered defeat for 40 straight competitive matches, dating back to a 2-0 loss to Scotland during Euro 2024 qualifying, which was just Luis de la Fuente's second game in charge of the side.
Since that loss, Spain have won the Euro 2024 title, lost the 2025 UEFA Nations League final on penalties, finished top of their World Cup qualifying group in unbeaten fashion, and won seven of eight matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup to lift the trophy.
Since Fabian Ruiz debuted internationally on June 7, 2019 against the Faroe Islands, here are the defeats Spain have suffered while he was absent from the team:
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Ukraine 1-0 Spain (Oct. 13, 2020 — UEFA Nations League)
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Sweden 2-1 Spain (Sep. 2, 2021 — World Cup qualifying)
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France 2-1 Spain (Oct. 10, 2021 — UEFA Nations League final)
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Spain 1-2 Switzerland (Sep. 24, 2022 — UEFA Nations League)
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Japan 2-1 Spain (Dec. 1, 2022 — FIFA World Cup)
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Scotland 2-0 Spain* (Mar. 28, 2023 — Euro qualifying)
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Colombia 1-0 Spain* (Mar. 22, 2024 — International friendly)
* In squad but unused substitute
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Fabian Ruiz trophies won
Thanks in large part to the aforementioned international streak, Fabian Ruiz has racked up quite a trophy count.
Alongside having won two Champions League titles on club duty with Paris Saint-Germain, Ruiz has also won some of the international game's biggest titles as well.
| Competition |
Year(s) won |
|---|---|
| FIFA World Cup |
2026 |
| UEFA Euros |
2024 |
| UEFA Nations League |
2023 |
Additionally, Ruiz won a UEFA European U-21 championship with Spain as well, although that does not count as part of his first-team trophy collection.
