Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is under attack for his support for Catalan independence, despite always having been a tower of strength for Spain.
Spain's 2-0 defeat of Slovakia Saturday should have been a cause for celebration, as it put the two-time defending champions on top of Group C and well on course for the 2016 finals in France.
A win Tuesday at bottom team Macedonia will virtually guarantee Vicente del Bosque's team a place in the finals.
However, instead of waxing lyrical about La Roja having recovered the slick "tiqui-taka" short-passing style that made them dominant in world football for four years, the media attention Sunday was focused on defender Gerard Pique, who had been jeered from start to finish by most of the sparse crowd in Oviedo.
This jeering of Pique cast a shadow over what was arguably Spain's best performance in a while, with Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas bossing the midfield - and with David Silva tearing apart the Slovak defense with his thoughtful through-balls.
It was however not the first time that the 69-times capped Pique has been systematically booed. It happened last season at most of Spain's home matches, and also at national training sessions in Madrid.
The reason is Pique's very public support for the controversial campaign for the independence of Catalonia.
He is not the only Barca player to have come out in favour of independence - former coach Pep Guardiola, now of Bayern Munich, has also done so - but Pique is the player who has expressed his opinions most forcibly and, many Spaniards would say, provocatively.
Pique, 28, has helped Spain win a first World Cup and two Euros but has also never shied away from controversy.
He is well known for his practical jokes in the dresssing-room, something he says he learned when a youngster at Manchester United. A year ago he reportedly fouled up the airplane on one of Barca's journeys by throwing two stink bombs.
These high jinks have not always endeared Pique to his team-mates. Indeed, year after year he has failed to be voted in as one of the club's four captains, despite being now the third longest-serving player.
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