The idea seems a bit tricky right now, but Paquito Navarro isn’t ruling out one specific scenario: seeing the two former world No. 1s play together again for the Spanish national team. For the Seville native, the national team may still carry more weight than recent tensions.
Paquito is counting on the weight of the Spanish national team jersey
In an interview with Marca, Paquito Navarro sent a pretty clear message about Juan Lebrón and Alejandro Galán. According to him, if the Spanish team needed them in a decisive match, the two former partners would be able to put their differences aside.
If Lebrón and Galán end up playing together in the World Cup final, they’ll be doing so for Spain.
The nuance is important: Paquito isn’t announcing a lineup change or an official decision by the national team. He’s referring to a very specific context—that of a match between pairs where the collective interest can shift the order of priorities. On the national team, pairings aren’t based solely on current chemistry. They also depend on the opposing team, current form, available players, and the overall balance of the squad.
This remains a sensitive issue, as Lebrón and Galán are no ordinary players in the recent history of Spanish padel. Their partnership has left its mark on several seasons at the highest level. Even after a split, they remain two key options for a captain looking to build the best possible team.
What happened to Lebrón and Galán?
The short answer: Their on-court split left their relationship strained, and the Valencia P1 tournament has brought that tension back into the spotlight. At the end of a thrilling semifinal, Galán refused to shake Lebrón’s hand—a rare sight on tour. Above all, the incident confirmed that their relationship remains fragile, more than two years after their pair stopped playing together.
That doesn’t mean, however, that playing together in a match for Spain is impossible. In 2024, during the World Championship final against Argentina, Galán and Lebrón had already played together for Spain. That experience doesn’t guarantee anything for a future World Championship, but it shows that the national team can operate according to a different logic than the tour circuit.
From a sporting perspective, the argument remains strong. Galán brings court coverage, reading the game, and a presence at the net that give structure to a pair. Lebrón maintains the intensity, ball speed, and creativity capable of becoming a turning point in a match. Their playing styles may still be complementary, even if the personal dynamic seems more complex.
So the real question isn’t just whether they want to play together again. It’s whether, when the time comes, it would be in Spain’s best interest to ask them to make that effort. Paquito Navarro, whose official profile still appears among the top players in the FIP ranking, seems convinced that in a decisive padel match, teamwork can make the difference.
