Already the fourth title
European Championship record! Spain now sits alone at the top
The European soccer throne is firmly in Spanish hands. With the 2:1 victory against England on Sunday in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, "La Roja" has secured its fourth European Championship title in total. One more than hosts Germany. This means that coach Luis de la Fuente's team will now sit alone at the summit of Europe for at least four years.
For the first time since the era of "tiki-taka", Spain has climbed back onto the throne of European soccer. With a new style of play and a healthy mix of veterans and young stars, coach Luis de la Fuente's team crowned themselves record European champions against England in Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday. After 1964, 2008 and 2012, this is the fourth title in the continental competition for "La Roja".
Before the start of the tournament, the Spaniards were merely dubbed co-favorites, but after winning "Group of Death" B, they became the top favorites for the finals. The Iberians impressed against Croatia (3:0) and Italy (1:0), while a still excellently equipped B team secured a flawless preliminary round against Albania (1:0). The commanding 4:1 victory over the surprise team from Georgia in the round of 16 was followed by a historic 2:1 win against Germany. For the first time in its long history, Spain had defeated a host nation at a European Championship or World Cup tournament.
The giant has awoken again
In the semi-final against France, who were not in top form, the Spaniards turned a deficit into a 2:1 victory. Five days later, under the Berlin night sky, a crowning achievement followed that was not necessarily foreseeable after the unsuccessful finals of previous years. Since the legendary tiki-taka era characterized by Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets, which produced two European Championship titles (2008, 2012) and the only World Cup triumph to date (2010), the Spanish association has been in crisis. Only once in the past five major tournaments have they made it past the round of 16.
After twelve dormant years, the soccer giant has awoken again. De la Fuente has played a significant role in this. The 63-year-old took over as national team coach from the renowned Luis Enrique at the start of 2023 and implemented a new idea into the Spanish system after years of possession soccer: pragmatism. Games can now be won in a variety of ways, and not just through tiki-taka. "Pace and counter-attacking are now also part of Spain's core virtues," said De la Fuente after the opening win against Croatia in the European Championship.
The game idea is being implemented by a mixture of experience and youth. Alongside long-serving internationals such as Alvaro Morata, Rodri, Aymeric Laporte and Dani Carvajal, who form the foundation, the young guns are allowed to play with confidence. Wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal in particular, who became the youngest player and goalscorer in European Championship history, left their mark on the final round in Germany. They also added another facet to Spain's game thanks to their strength in one-on-one play.
A constant development
De la Fuentes' experience as a former coach of Spain's youth national teams is proving helpful in the development and handling of young talent. In 2015, he won the U19 European Championship title together with Rodri, Unai Simon and Mikel Merino, and four years later he triumphed at the U21 European Championship. His protégés at the time included Dani Olmo, Fabian Ruiz and Mikel Oyarzabal.
Five years later, the coach, who was born in the northern Spanish region of La Rioja, celebrated the greatest success of his career to date and lifted football-fanatical Spain back to the top. "La Roja" can now call themselves the sole record European champions, ahead of Germany (three European Championship triumphs), at least until the 2028 finals in Great Britain and Ireland.
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