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Spain are reaching for a second World Cup title 16 years after the first on Sunday against Argentina.
They are doing so in a way that hardly fits the dominance of the superstars at this tournament. While other teams rely on their biggest names, the European champions have earned their return to a World Cup final in their own unique way.
Following are three key reasons for their success:
The team is the star
No Spaniard receives as much attention from fans and the media as Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old, who celebrated his birthday the day before the 2–0 semi-final win over France and then rewarded himself with the hoped-for trip to the final in New Jersey, is the biggest star on his team.
But he is nowhere near as dominant as Lionel Messi is for Argentina, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are for England, Erling Haaland is for Norway, or Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé are for France.
"We played against one of the best national teams, but they had to face the best team. We are a team," coach Luis de la Fuente said after Spain's semi-final display.
Spain are in the final even though Yamal has managed just one goal and one assist.
Key figures on the road to the final included Mikel Oyarzabal, whose successful penalty against France was his fifth goal of this World Cup. Yet the Real Sociedad forward would probably not make the top ten on any list of the world's best-known strikers. Neither would Mikel Merino, the super-sub who scored last-minute winners against Portugal and Belgium.
"We all work toward the same goal, not just that of one individual. I have never experienced such an exemplary group, both on and off the pitch. In 47 days together, we didn't have a single problem," de la Fuente said.
Attack wins games, defence wins titles
The World Cup final is Spain's eighth match at the World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and they have so far only conceded one goal.
While the opening 0–0 draw against Cape Verde was initially met with ridicule, the world has long since recognized that the European champions are having an outstanding defensive tournament.
Only Belgium, in the quarter-finals, managed to put Spain's defenders under pressure on several occasions and became the only team to score against them. As the saying goes: offense wins games, defence wins titles.
Goalkeeper Unai Simón set a World Cup record with 649 minutes without conceding a goal, comfortably surpassing Walter Zenga's 36-year-old mark.
The Athletic Bilbao keeper, who has often faced criticism, only had to make saves against France in the closing stages because the players in front of him, led by Rodri and the 19-year-old Pau Cubarsí, allowed hardly any chances.
A coach with the aura of being unbeatable
Since taking over in January 2023, Luis de la Fuente has been in charge of 48 international matches. He has lost only three and none at all at major events.
Since a 2–0 defeat to Scotland in the European Championship qualifiers in March 2023, Spain has lost only the Nations League final against Portugal last summer — in a penalty shootout. In open play, the European champions have remained unbeaten for more than three years with de la Fuente on the sidelines.
"I continue to be amazed by what this team is capable of. We keep improving, from one match to the next, from one competition to the next," de la Fuente said. "It's not just luck; it's commitment, talent, sacrifice, and the desire to become an even better version of ourselves."
De la Fuente is responsible for fostering this mindset. He has worked for the Spanish Football Federation for 13 years and previously coached many of the current national team players at youth level. He instilled his values in them while they were still teenagers.
With Rodri and Merino, for example, he won the Under-19 European Championship in 2015. Four years later, Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo were in the starting lineup when Spain's Under-21 side won the European title.
Right-back Pedro Porro, whose scored the second goal against France, said after reaching the final: "Of course, not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined playing in a World Cup like this.
"But I also owe that to my teammates and to the coach, who believed in me from the very first moment. Not just at this World Cup, but ever since I made my debut for him with the Under-21 team."
Continue reading...
They are doing so in a way that hardly fits the dominance of the superstars at this tournament. While other teams rely on their biggest names, the European champions have earned their return to a World Cup final in their own unique way.
Following are three key reasons for their success:
The team is the star
No Spaniard receives as much attention from fans and the media as Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old, who celebrated his birthday the day before the 2–0 semi-final win over France and then rewarded himself with the hoped-for trip to the final in New Jersey, is the biggest star on his team.
But he is nowhere near as dominant as Lionel Messi is for Argentina, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are for England, Erling Haaland is for Norway, or Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé are for France.
"We played against one of the best national teams, but they had to face the best team. We are a team," coach Luis de la Fuente said after Spain's semi-final display.
Spain are in the final even though Yamal has managed just one goal and one assist.
Key figures on the road to the final included Mikel Oyarzabal, whose successful penalty against France was his fifth goal of this World Cup. Yet the Real Sociedad forward would probably not make the top ten on any list of the world's best-known strikers. Neither would Mikel Merino, the super-sub who scored last-minute winners against Portugal and Belgium.
"We all work toward the same goal, not just that of one individual. I have never experienced such an exemplary group, both on and off the pitch. In 47 days together, we didn't have a single problem," de la Fuente said.
Attack wins games, defence wins titles
The World Cup final is Spain's eighth match at the World Cup across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and they have so far only conceded one goal.
While the opening 0–0 draw against Cape Verde was initially met with ridicule, the world has long since recognized that the European champions are having an outstanding defensive tournament.
Only Belgium, in the quarter-finals, managed to put Spain's defenders under pressure on several occasions and became the only team to score against them. As the saying goes: offense wins games, defence wins titles.
Goalkeeper Unai Simón set a World Cup record with 649 minutes without conceding a goal, comfortably surpassing Walter Zenga's 36-year-old mark.
The Athletic Bilbao keeper, who has often faced criticism, only had to make saves against France in the closing stages because the players in front of him, led by Rodri and the 19-year-old Pau Cubarsí, allowed hardly any chances.
A coach with the aura of being unbeatable
Since taking over in January 2023, Luis de la Fuente has been in charge of 48 international matches. He has lost only three and none at all at major events.
Since a 2–0 defeat to Scotland in the European Championship qualifiers in March 2023, Spain has lost only the Nations League final against Portugal last summer — in a penalty shootout. In open play, the European champions have remained unbeaten for more than three years with de la Fuente on the sidelines.
"I continue to be amazed by what this team is capable of. We keep improving, from one match to the next, from one competition to the next," de la Fuente said. "It's not just luck; it's commitment, talent, sacrifice, and the desire to become an even better version of ourselves."
De la Fuente is responsible for fostering this mindset. He has worked for the Spanish Football Federation for 13 years and previously coached many of the current national team players at youth level. He instilled his values in them while they were still teenagers.
With Rodri and Merino, for example, he won the Under-19 European Championship in 2015. Four years later, Oyarzabal and Dani Olmo were in the starting lineup when Spain's Under-21 side won the European title.
Right-back Pedro Porro, whose scored the second goal against France, said after reaching the final: "Of course, not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined playing in a World Cup like this.
"But I also owe that to my teammates and to the coach, who believed in me from the very first moment. Not just at this World Cup, but ever since I made my debut for him with the Under-21 team."
Continue reading...
