As the clock ticked closer to ninety minutes at the Olympiastadion Berlin during the Euro 2024 final, England fancied its chances of pulling a final rabbit out of the hat to spoil Spain’s party.
However, with four minutes to go, Marc Cucurella outpaced Kyle Walker on the left flank to fire a low cross into the six-yard area, where Mikel Oyarzabal had the simplest poke at the ball to put it past Jordan Pickford, prolonging the Three Lions’ 58-year trophy drought.
At full-time, with the scoreline reading 2-1, a new chapter was written in the history books of European football. Spain was the continental champion for a record fourth time, this being its third title in the last five editions.
Captain Alvaro Morata lifted the ‘Henri Delaunay Trophy’, with stalwarts of yesteryear like Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and David Villa looking on from the stands, witnessing a revamped, pacy side that still resonated with the Spanish possession fervour that once dominated world football.
Spain was easily the best team out of the 24 to reach the final, after having completely overhauled its ‘tiki-taka’ identity to display a vertical and dynamic style of play.
After just 20 months at the helm, Luis de la Fuente hand-picked talents from his under-19 and under-21 sides that achieved European success, to reignite a new period of Spanish dominance, with 15 out of the 26 players that travelled to Germany having played under him in the initial years of their careers. The redesigned side scored a record-breaking 15 goals, becoming the first team to win seven games in the same edition.
Future bright: Rising stars, Lamine Yamal (left) and Nico Williams (right) with Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente. | Photo Credit: AFP
Flawless from the start
Spain conquered the ‘group of death’ with flawless performances that sent early warnings to other nations that La Roja were title contenders yet again.
With dominating showings against a Croatia side that enjoyed success in recent tournaments, defending champion Italy, and a resilient Albania, Spain wrapped up the phase as the sole nation to secure all possible nine points.
In the knockouts, debutant Georgia provided an early scare, only for Spain to fire four goals in reply. Host Germany, however, proved to be a tougher task in the quarterfinal. After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, Spain required the services of an unlikely goalscorer in Mikel Merino, who went airborne in the 119th minute to precisely head a Dani Olmo cross past German keeper Manuel Neuer.
Only Kylian Mbappe and France stood in between Spain and a fifth European Championship final. Despite conceding an early goal, Spain was inspired to a win by a wonder strike from Lamine Yamal, followed by Olmo landing the knockout punch. Just three days short of turning 17, he broke Pele’s record to become the youngest player to score in a major tournament.
Younger stars shine brighter
Nico Williams and Yamal have certainly been Spain’s brightest takeaways from the tournament, with the youngsters amassing a combined nine goals and assists. The two combined within just 69 seconds into the second half against England to get the scoreboard moving, with Williams netting his second goal of the tournament.
Big-match player: Rodri was the Player of the Tournament, after producing a stellar performance in this year’s edition. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
The quick-footed wingers have filled gaps left unattended after the ‘golden age’ of Spanish football, with their exuberant and direct play. Williams was the Player of the Match in the final while Yamal deservedly walked away with the Young Player of the Tournament award.
Midfield is where some of Spain’s legends have played in the recent past, and its trio in the middle for Euro 2024 lived up to the expectations. Paris Saint-Germain’s Fabian Ruiz was a close contender for Player of the Tournament, driving runs into the final third and even having a crack at the goal himself. He had the third most shots on target in his squad and ended a delightful campaign with two goals and two assists.
Pedri’s unfortunate injury in the opening minutes of the quarterfinal against Germany paved the way for Olmo to cement himself as a ball-carrying threat in this electrifying team. Against Germany, Olmo scored and assisted after his introduction from the bench and finished the tournament as joint-top scorer (3).
Possibly his best moment of the tournament came in the 90th minute of the final when he stood firm on his own goal line to clear away a Marc Guehi header from point-blank range.
However, both Ruiz and Olmo were outshined by Rodri, who has been one of the best players in the world in recent years. He shifted from the centre-back responsibilities he was entrusted with by former manager Luis Enrique and eased into his ball-winning role at the heart of the pitch. Despite coming off after the first half in the final, injuring himself after blocking a Declan Rice shot, Rodri managed to get his hands on the Player of the Tournament award.
On target: Mikel Oyarzabal (in red) had the simplest poke at the ball to put it past Jordan Pickford (right). | Photo Credit: AP
No way but up
Inventor Thomas Alva Edison once said, “Good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation,” which is an accurate way to justify De La Fuente’s success with this bunch of players. This trophy has been in the making since he took over the Under-19 Spain squad in 2013.
Bringing a whole new identity to a major tournament, whilst still maintaining the status as one of the heavyweights of European football, is no easy feat but a patient one. Instead of picking most players from usual suspects like Barcelona and Real Madrid, De La Fuente chose to stick with those he trusted.
He, therefore, forged an attacking group that responded positively to adversity instead of passing the ball around in their own half.
Spain is no longer the side that’s entirely reliant on its intricate passing manoeuvres. Instead, it has become an open-minded team ready to ambush opponents at any given opportunity while still upholding the values of their predecessors.
With a youthful yet technically able group of players, Spain can look forward to yet another period of dominance, with many more nights possibly ending with the players and fans singing “Campeones, Campeones, Ole, Ole, Ole.”
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