Before the EURO 2024 final against England, the last time Spain won the tournament was in 2012. That was the era of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Iker Casillas, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso and Jordi Alba.
The legends of Real Madrid and Barcelona have put aside their eternal rivalry to unite into a formidable force. They have won three major tournaments in a row (EURO 2008, World Cup 2010, EURO 2012), an unprecedented feat in football history.
This time, in 2024, things are different, but not because Spain lacks superstars. Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, Dani Carvajal and Marc Cucurella all had an excellent tournament. However, La Roja's EURO 2024 championship comes from the strength of the team rather than the brilliance of individuals.
Spain not only won the championship but also won all 7 matches, 6 of which were victories in the official 90 minutes. That is an achievement that no team in the tournament's history has ever accomplished.
In La Roja's success, coach Luis de la Fuente plays an extremely important role. He has been involved with Spanish football for more than a decade in many different roles and levels. He is also knowledgeable about his students, as many of the players in the Spanish squad that won EURO 2024 were with De la Fuente at the U21 and U19 levels.
That's why they are always calm and rarely flinch. They have ideas, they have faith and in the end they win. That belief was challenged by Gareth Southgate's England team in the first half when the "Three Lions" tried to slow down the pace of the match. Until the end of the first 45 minutes, it seemed like the goalkeepers of both teams did not have to work too much.
However, in all circumstances, even when Rodri left the field, La Roja still stuck to the plan set out from the beginning. The main result was the opening goal for Spain by Nico Williams. It's still a familiar formula when Yamal throws a sharp pass into the penalty area for another player to run in and finish.
After that, Southgate also made changes and was rewarded with Cole Palmer's equalizer. England fans behind goalkeeper Unai Simon's wooden goal began cheering and forming "waves" of people.
Unlike Southgate, De la Fuente is much calmer and still believes in his students, even when England dominates on the field. In fact, Yamal had at least 2 good opportunities to end the match but unfortunately missed them all. But in the end, Mikel Oyarzabal - who came on to replace Alvaro Morata, spoke up just in time in the 68th minute.
Of course, we must recognize the efforts of the Spanish players throughout the 90 minutes. But it was De la Fuente who nurtured that and the results came inevitably.
Many people believe that success at a tournament like EURO often comes with luck because it lasts for a short time. However, look at how Spain dominated, remained calm and showed determination throughout the tournament in Germany.
England has stars with a total value of more than 1 billion pounds, but they lack ideas and identity, which Spain has shown very well.
