In Kyiv 14 years ago, Iker Casillas lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy. That night, Spain’s captain was one of four Real Madrid players in the starting XI against Italy. Five others were from Barcelona.
It was a team of rivals who put the animosities often stoked by the then Madrid coach Jose Mourinho to one side for the common good of Spain. Sergio Ramos partnered Carles Puyol in defence. Xabi Alonso complemented Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield. For a time, it was the perfect fusion, a legendary side forged in the competitiveness of El Clasico, when Pep Guardiola brought the best out of his Barcelona players and his Madrid opponents, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi took the game and their teammates to new heights.
The absence of a Real Madrid-Barcelona core to this summer’s Spain team was, for some, a reason to doubt it. Spain did not lack talent. However, other than Rodri, the Manchester City conductor, and Dani Carvajal, a six-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, it did not boast hall of famers like the aforementioned Xavi and Iniesta who watched this summer’s final from the stands at the Olympiastadion. “I am not surprised we were ignored at the start of the Euros,” Aymeric Laporte said.
The former Athletic Bilbao centre-back is of Basque heritage. Behind him was goalkeeper Unai Simon, another Basque. Beside him, Robin Le Normand, who plays for Athletic’s rivals from San Sebastian, Real Sociedad. As in 2012, Spain were once again a team with a derby in its midst. Rather than break the team apart, the blend made it stronger. Athletic and Real Sociedad had a disproportionate influence on Spain’s success in Germany. Nine members of Luis de la Fuente’s squad play or have played for one of the Basque country’s two biggest clubs. Even he has a past as a full-back for Athletic in the early 80s, a decade that began with Real Sociedad and Athletic winning the first four La Liga titles under the stewardship of Alberto Ormaetxea and Javier Clemente.
“If we are not Spain, we have no chance,” de la Fuente said on the eve of the final. And without the Athletic and Real Sociedad players perhaps Spain wouldn’t have taken their chances either. The final was decided by them. Athletic winger Nico Williams whipped home the opener against England. Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal slid in for the late winner. It epitomised Spain’s tournament.
Williams and Oyarzabal both scored in Spain’s Euro 2024 final victory over England (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
“I’m euphoric,” Williams said. “So excited. We all deserve this.” The 22-year-old was named Man of the Match after the final. It was the second time he won the award at the Euros. The first was after Spain’s 1-0 win over Italy in the group stage when he hit the woodwork, attempted 11 dribbles and asphalted over the Italian right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo. His cross also precipitated Riccardo Calafiori’s own-goal. Williams arguably deserved another award after his stunning goal against Georgia at the start of the knock-out stages when he glided past a defender and almost blew the back of the net off.
“There is immense joy with all that happened,” his Spain teammate, Oyarzabal, said. The Real Sociedad attacker had entered the fray mid-way through the second half, replacing Spain’s skipper Alvaro Morata with the score 1-0. Minutes late Cole Palmer equalised for England. The Chelsea winger had been able to get a shot away on the edge of the box, an area Rodri had patrolled diligently in the first half, only to injure his hamstring blocking a shot by Harry Kane. His replacement, Oyarzabal’s Real Sociedad teammate, Manuel Zubimendi, was not as attentive when it came to closing down the same space and Palmer took full advantage.
It left Spain needing another match winner and de la Fuente trusted Oyarzabal to make the difference. He’d been a pivotal member of the Spain team that won the Under-21 Euros under de la Fuente in 2019 and has scored big goals in the past, notably the winner for Real Sociedad in the 2020 Copa del Rey final against Athletic. But this was the biggest of all, not only for the occasion, but for everything he has been through. Oyarzabal missed the World Cup in Qatar after suffering a serious knee injury. “When you have been through hard times, just being here in the squad was huge,” he said. “Being able to help like this is the maximum.”
Mikel Merino, another Real Sociedad player, felt the same after the quarter-final against hosts Germany. He had come on and headed home the winner in the last minute of extra-time in Stuttgart. “Honestly, I took two or three seconds to realise what had just happened,” Merino said.
Merino’s header against Germany was a huge moment for Spain (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
There were other huge moments in Spain’s triumph over the past month. The only stroke of luck came when the ball did more than stroke Cucurella’s hand against Germany only for his arm to be adjudged, in keeping with pre-tournament directives, in a natural position. It meant Cucurella was booed every time he touched the ball by local fans at the semi-final and final, where he assisted Oyarzabal’s clincher. Other than that Spain were, as de la Fuente said, “touched by genius”. The genius of Yamal who was so good even Kylian Mbappe asked for his shirt. His equaliser in the semi-final was, for many, the moment of the tournament, not only for the sublime curl on his strike against a goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, who had not conceded in open-play up until that moment. But for doing it in the face of Adrien Rabiot who had questioned his ability to do it when it mattered on the eve of the game. “Speak now! Speak now!” Yamal shouted.
Overall, no one can begrudge Spain their record fourth Euros. They were the best team at the tournament, running the gauntlet. Spain won the group of death with a game to spare. They beat the holders, the hosts and both pre-tournament favourites. They made the hard way look like easy street. They played with flair and pace but also showed tremendous character. They came back from behind against Georgia and France. They scored late winners against Germany and England. They showed the grit and determination of the Basques who, in turn, offered yet another reminder of how much they punch above their weight within Spain where Athletic won the Copa del Rey and Real Sociedad made it through to the knock out stages of the Champions League.
Laporte felt the national team was, generally, ignored at the start of the tournament. But the Basque element to Spain’s triumph should never be overlooked.
(Top Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
