Men's football often divides opinion, but everyone is united to hail Spain's dominance in men's football.
2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Northern Ireland. UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany. 2024 Summer Olympics in France. All of these major tournaments happen in a span of four weeks. And Spain won them all. Let's not forget the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which Australia and New Zealand co-hosted.
La Roja won their first title, which would underline Spain's dominance in international football. It didn't surprise analysts, as they noted the Spain football national team is full of stars. And the 2024 Summer Olympics is not an exception.
France is the pre-tournament favorite to win the Olympic gold medal, as the home crowd have encouraged the French athletes on countless occasions. And men's football is not an exception. Les Bleus won their first FIFA World Cup in 1998. It was held in France.
The gold medal game between France and Spain lived up to the hype, and many thought that Las Rojos would run away with the gold. But Les Bleus would delight the fans one more time. They fought and persisted. The game went to overtime. Sergio Camello, a forward for Rayo Vallecano, scored the winning goal. It was too late for Les Bleus for another comeback. Spain's other gold-medal win happened during the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
“This is something historic,” said Spanish head coach Santi Denia. “The players will remember this for the rest of their lives. They have believed, they have fought, they have struggled. We have not been able to achieve this for many years.”
Is this normalizing the feeling of winning? Yes. La Rojo had lean years between wins in international tournaments, but they used to come out on top whenever they reached the medal round. It's more than football being considered a religion (in Spain).
Tiki-Taka. It sounds like the latest dance move, but it's actually the distinctive style of play by the Los Rojos. It involves short passes, keeping possession of the ball, and working the ball through various channels. We think that this is the main reason behind Spain's success in international football. And we aren't the only ones.
Who's the coach? Álvaro Morata, a forward for AC Milan, is the captain of the Spanish national football team that guided them to the UEFA Euro 2024 title. But Julen Lopetegui is THE man behind Spain's recent success. He was a goalkeeper during his La Liga days. He became a football manager in 2003. The rest was history.
See the football stars. Dani Olmo, a winger for RB Leipzig. Álvaro Morata, a striker for Atlético Madrid. Fabian Ruiz, a midfielder for Paris Saint-German. The list goes on, but football fans would know that Spain's talent in the football field is unmatched.
How Spanish fans cheer for their team, as well as how they celebrate their wins, would make entertaining football. And we’re not pulling a leg. The most classic, or most-heard, chant is “¡A por ellos, oé!” (“Let’s beat them”). Is it similar to Rafael Nadal’s “¡Vamos!”? Your guess is as good as ours. Fans who have attended the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa kept on hearing “¡Yo soy español, español, español!”. The English equivalent is “I’m Spanish! I’m Spanish! I’m Spanish!”. Enough said.
How do Spanish fans celebrate a win? Red tide, but it’s not what you think. Fans go to the fountains. The sight is quite a spectacle. It can be amusing as well.
Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, and this bodes well for the Spanish men’s football team. The host team won the prestigious World Cup on five occasions, and France was the last one to achieve such a feat. The recent success of Los Rojos and the upcoming FIFA World Cup should make the Spanish men’s football team, and the women’s football team, more confident than ever.
"Maybe in other times having more of the ball guaranteed better results," Spanish football manager Luis de la Fuente said . "Now, we can surprise opponents. We used the ball with a lot of sense. We became clinical. It shows that you don't have to have so much of the ball if you're a team like us, with pace."
It’s a narrative that will remain unchanged for several years. What do you think?
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