If the resounding victory over darkhorses Croatia in their Euro 2024 opener was not enough, then wins over defending champions Italy, hosts Germany and title favorites France and England were a strong indication that Spain might just be on the verge of dominating world football in the years to come.
What made their Euro triumph all the more sweeter was that they had overcome some major obstacles on the way.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was dealt heavy blows in the business stage of the tournament either in the form of injury or suspension.
And they were three key players of the La Roja set-up – young star Pedri Gonzalez (missed semi-final and final due to injury), the veteran Dani Carvajal (suspended for France semi) and midfield engine Rodri Hernandez (injured for entire second half against England).
Not only did Spain cope admirably in their absence but took the lead in the grand finale two minutes following resumption after Rodri was brought off.
The way De la Fuente went about his business reminded of Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque who guided the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez and the indomitable Spanish team which claimed consecutive Euro titles and the World Cup just over a decade ago.
In this Euro, the 63-year old manager looked no less shrewd in tactics than his decorated predecessors.
Spain created plenty of goalscoring chances throughout the tournament but managed none in the final’s opening half, not counting the tame effort by Fabian Ruiz before the half-hour mark.
This perhaps worried De la Fuente to come up with a new plan after the break which resulted in the very first attempt through a cross connection between two wing wizards – Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.
Having made his debut against the Croats as the youngest ever player in the Euros, Yamal went from strength to strength as the competition wore on.
The 17-year old wonder kid continued to impress in every knockout clash that included a “goal of the tournament” contender against former champions France, before producing the most number of chances in the finale.
Nico, younger brother of Ghana international Inaki Williams who is also his teammate at Athletic Bilbao, was not far behind.
The 22-year old marauded through the left side while Yamal was busy on the right flank.
With tireless running from midfielders Ruiz and Dani Olmo and captain Alvaro Morata, the duo got able support in orchestrating one attack after another.
The helping hand from Carvajal and Marc Cucurella from the fullback positions was extremely handy for the forwards who also put in defensive shifts, while Rodri as usual was the mastermind in keeping the balance.
“The future for us is going to be everything. We have talent to keep moving on but for now, we celebrate,” Rodri, the player of the tournament, said after lifting the Euro 2024 trophy.
Spain’s bench options also proved their worth.
From Olmo making up for Pedri’s unanticipated absence to super sub Mikel Oyarzabal netting the 86th-minute winner in the final, the La Roja already wear the look of genuine contenders for the next World Cup.
After steering his country to a record fourth European Championship crown, De la Fuente said: “For me, they are the best in the world and today, I confirm that definition.”
