David Moyes' link to Spain World Cup hero Mikel Oyarzabal revealed after stunning win vs France

David Moyes' fingerprints were left on Spain's World Cup semi-final win over France.

It seems like a lifetime ago now, and almost hard to believe, but Moyes was coaching on the continent.

After just less than a year in charge of Manchester United, he jetted off to Spain to take on the manager's job with La Liga outfit Real Sociedad in November 2014.

It was here that Moyes would run into a young Mikel Oyarzabal, still over a decade away from scoring one of Spain's most important goals at a major tournament in recent memory.

The Eibar-born forward was in the transitional period of academy football to the senior game at the time of Moyes' arrival, and it was clear that Sociedad had a big talent on their hands.

And, despite being a matter of weeks away from leaving the Basque Country-based outfit, the now-Everton manager would hand Oyarzabal a watershed moment in his career.

How David Moyes set in motion Mikel Oyarzabal's iconic Sociedad career

The year was 2015, and Real Sociedad were coming off a disappointing 2014-15 season that saw them finish 12th in La Liga, having finished seventh and fourth in the two terms prior.

Their squad needed the spark and energy that a young, local talent would provide, and that's exactly what they got via a helping hand from Moyes.

It was 25 October 2015, and Sociedad were travelling to Levante for a La Liga clash.

As detailed in an X post from The Athletic reporter Andy Mitten, Oyarzabal would be handed his La Liga debut as an 18-year-old by Moyes in this game.

Sociedad would beat Levante 4-0 that day, with Oyarzabal coming on to replace Carlos Vela in the closing stages of the match.

Fast-forward to the present, and the now-29-year-old has never left Sociedad, and has made over 430 competitive first-team appearances for them.

He's also long been an established member of Spain's national team, with their World Cup semi-final against France on Tuesday night seeing him earn his 60th cap for his country.

Indeed, he would mark it by scoring the opening goal of the match with his 22nd-minute penalty, setting Spain on their way to a memorable 2-0 win, and booking their place in Sunday's final.

So, Oyarzabal is evidently extremely loyal to Sociedad, but might this summer be the perfect opportunity for Moyes to reunite with his former prodigy at Hill Dickinson Stadium?

Why Oyarzabal could take Everton's attack to the next level

Contracted with Sociedad until the summer of 2028, Oyarzabal may not be in any rush to leave the Basque Country for pastures new in the coming weeks, if ever.

Staying there clearly hasn't impacted his international career, and at 29, he might not wish to up sticks at this stage.

However, Sociedad have regressed in La Liga over the last two seasons, finishing 11th and 10th respectively having previously never dropped below sixth since the 2019-20 campaign.

As a result, it could be difficult for them to turn down a sizeable offer if one landed on their desk for Oyarzabal, and with Moyes knowing all about the player, he'd surely jump at the chance to link back up with him.

Goodison News has been covering Everton's desire to sign a striker in this summer window, and a player of Oyarzabal's class and pedigree could be as good as the Toffees could realistically hope for.

He scored 15 goals in 34 La Liga games last term, and in all competitions, has fired home 50 times over his last three seasons.

Oyarzabal is currently on five goals for Spain at the World Cup, and as per FotMob, no striker in La Liga created more big chances than his 13 in 2025-26.

Being able to link up and connect with your team-mates as the lone striker is a big part of what Moyes looks for, and Oyarzabal would definitely tick that all-rounder box.

Would it be ambitious? Yes. But if you don't, ask you don't get, and there's no harm in Moyes asking his old wonderkid whether he'd be up for reuniting in the Premier League for 2026-27.