If you asked the football public which players are among the favourites to win the Golden Ball or Golden Boot awards at the 2026 World Cup, the same names would come up: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane, Ousmane Dembele, Vinicius Junior, Lamine Yamal, perhaps even Cristiano Ronaldo.Either way, one name wouldn't even cross anyone's mind – Mikel Oyarzabal.Ramos stoppage time winner sends Portugal past Croatia into last 16After all, why would it? It's not exactly an easy name to pronounce, and more importantly, it's not in the spotlight. Who has the time to pay attention to the Real Sociedad captain? If only he played for Real Madrid or Barcelona…But Oyarzabal is used to flying under the radar. That's where he thrives.🚨🗣️ Luis de la Fuente: “Mikel Oyarzabal is AMAZING. He is UNDERRATED.”“He deserves far more recognition from the fans.” pic.twitter.com/j5xmtQ5enK— WorldCup2026🏆 (@1amsepp) July 2, 2026 Actually, he did catch everyone's attention once, during Spain's World Cup opener against Cabo Verde, when he didn't touch the ball once throughout the first half an hour of the match.Then he was noticed…and mocked.Once he started scoring – or rather, continued to score – he was quickly pushed back into the shadows.Six days after the failure against the Blue Sharks, he bagged a brace and provided an assist against Saudi Arabia. Yesterday, against Austria, in the Round of 32, he added two more goals to his tally.Austria's attempts were in vain: Rangnick's team easy prey for SpainOyarzabal is currently the joint-third-leading scorer at the 2026 World Cup with four goals, tied with Vinicius Jr, Ismaila Sarr, and Ousmane Dembele. Still, no one sees him as a serious contender for the Golden Boot award.Even his mind-blowing stats in the national team jersey do not help – and they are astonishing.In his last 14 appearances for Spain, the 29-year-old scored as many goals and provided seven assists.Mikel Oyarzabal's last 14 games for Spain:⚽️⚽️ vs Netherlands🅰️🅰️ vs France⚽️ vs Portugal⚽️ vs Bulgaria🅰️🅰️🅰️ vs Turkiye⚽️ vs Bulgaria⚽️⚽️🅰️ vs Georgia⚽️ vs Turkiye⚽️⚽️ vs Serbia⚽️ vs Peru❌ vs Cape Verde⚽️⚽️🅰️ vs Saudi Arabia❌ vs Uruguay⚽️ vs AustriaIncredible… pic.twitter.com/HJwGGKlTRi— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 2, 2026 He is currently joint-sixth on La Roja’s all-time scoring list with 29 goals, with the third position being within reach, and one day, perhaps even the top, where David Villa sits with 59 goals.If he maintains this form, it's not out of the question. However, even then, it still wouldn't be enough to make headlines and change the narrative.He'd still be some Real Sociedad captain, some player whom neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona signed, and some Spain teammate of Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Rodri, Nico Williams, and other stars.One of my favorite types of players are those who spend most of their careers at good clubs—not the very biggest ones—yet you always feel they have what it takes to shine.Mikel Oyarzabal is one of them.For more than a year now, he has become the man Spain turns to whenever… pic.twitter.com/9jz4yVsIeU— Appie Culé (@appiecule) July 2, 2026 That's because Mikel Oyarzabal is the most underrated striker in the world, and hardly anything is likely to alter his status.But he doesn't seem to mind. He's used to life away from the spotlight.Don't believe it? Just watch him thrive.WORLD CUP – KNOCKOUT STAGERound of 32SundaySouth Africa – Canada 0-1 (0-0)/Eustaquio 90+2/MondayBrazil – Japan 2-1 (0-1)/Casemiro 56, Martinelli 90+5 – Sano 29/Germany – Paraguay 3-4 on penalties (1-1)/Havertz 54 – Enciso 42/TuesdayNetherlands – Morocco 2-3 on penalties (1-1)/Gakpo 72 – Diop 90+1/Ivory Coast – Norway 1-2 (0-1)/Diallo 74 – Nusa 39, Haaland 86/France – Sweden 3-0 (1-0)/Mbappe 45, 74 Barcola 53/WednesdayMexico – Ecuador 2-0 (2-0)/Quinones 22, Jimenez 31/England – DR Congo 2-1 (0-1)/Kane 75, 86 – Cipenga 7/Belgium – Senegal 3-2 a.e.t. (2-2)/Lukaku 86, Tielemans 89, 120+5 pen – Diarra 25, Sarr I. 51/ThursdayUSA – B&H 2-0 (1-0)/Balogun 45, Tillman 82/Spain – Austria 3-0 (1-0)/Oyarzabal 36, 89, Porro 66/FridayPortugal – Croatia 2-1 (0-0)/Ronaldo 68 pen, Ramos 90+4 – Perisic 53/Switzerland – Algeria 2-0 (1-0)/Embolo 10, Ndoye 46/21.00: (3.15) Australia (2.95) Egypt (2.55) Saturday01.00: (1.17) Argentina (7.50) Cape Verde (16.0) 04.30: (1.70) Colombia (3.60) Ghana (5.50) ***odds are subject to change***