Spanish football has reached a level of its own.
Spain’s victory at the World Cup on Sunday joins a long list of recent victories in Spain’s men’s, women’s and youth competitions, underscoring the superiority of a system that adheres to the development of tactical identity and collective talent.
The men’s team are the current European champions and Olympic gold medalists, reaching the Nations League finals twice and winning once. The women’s national team is the defending World Cup champion and has won the Women’s Nations League twice. They also reached the final of the 2025 European Championship.
Spain was the first country to simultaneously hold the men’s and women’s World Cup titles, and is the only country to have won the men’s World Cup twice this century. The country has also won several youth tournaments in recent years with both men’s and women’s teams.
After the end of the golden generation that included Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernández, Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, who won their first World Cup in 2010, the men’s top team was gradually revamped and has been racking up titles ever since.
Players like Lamine Yamal, Pau Kvarci, Rodri and Ferran Torres, the goalscorer in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Argentina, are now representative of a new generation of players who have lifted La Roja back to the top.
Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente said, “Looking back, it’s very emotional.” “We have talked about it with our players. We won everything. It’s great… This is a generation of players who have been an example for Spanish sport, for young Spaniards and for Spain. Together we are stronger.”
Spain had not advanced to the last 16 of a men’s World Cup since winning the 2010 tournament in South Africa. Since de la Fuente arrived in 2022, they have competed for victory in almost every competition, and their 38-game unbeaten streak is the longest in men’s international football.
collection of talents
Despite a very talented group of players, it was Spain’s overall performance that was most impressive, with the team not having to rely on star players. They continue to improve defensively as well, with their solid backline and relentless attacks winning back the ball.
“We played against the best national team in the world, and we were the best team in the world,” de la Fuente said. “I’m so proud of this generation of players. They grew up with this idea, they stayed true to this idea, and they gave us an example of a group, a team, a family. I’m very proud of them. It was an honor.”
How can other teams replicate Spain’s system?
“Go to work,” former France player and FOX Sports commentator Thierry Henry said after the final. “Think about how you want to approach and play the same way at every level. This is why they dominate world football at every level. Male or female, it doesn’t really matter. They approach the same way.”
Youth system success
The recent wave of success can be traced back to the surprise appointment of de la Fuente in place of Luis Enrique after the team was eliminated by Morocco in the round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Although de la Fuente was relatively unknown at the time, the Spanish Football Federation was well aware of him.
De la Fuente had been coaching Spain’s young national team for some time, so Spain was actually betting on its youth system by hiring him.
He was familiar with the Football Federation’s processes for instilling a tactical identity at all levels, from the bottom to the entire men’s and women’s teams, and ensuring a smooth transition for youth team players to the main team.
The same goes for players like Yamal, Kvarci, Nico Williams, Pedri and Gabi, who are among the young players expected to keep the Spanish men’s team thriving for some time to come.
“If you look at everything we’ve been through, you can see how important this process was,” de la Fuente said. “Certainly, if we hadn’t gone through this process with these players, we wouldn’t have been able to do what we’re doing today. And that’s not what happened during this World Cup, it’s been happening for several years.”
tactical identity
Spain’s “tiki-taka” style, which emphasizes possession and emphasizes quick passing, led to the 2010 World Cup victory and victories at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, but came under attack as the national team began to struggle.
Some argued that this style was inefficient, and several coaches made changes over time. However, Spain never completely abandoned the idea of controlling possession and dominating the game.
Part of De La Fuente’s success was his ability to give his team a good mix of possession and efficiency. And it showed that Spain led this year’s World Cup in both passes and attempts on goal.
coaching ability
De la Fuente’s recent success has seen him quickly join the ranks of Spanish coaches who have led national teams and helped clubs flourish around the world.
Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery, Xabi Alonso and Roberto Martínez are among the leaders who have successfully spread Spanish tactics around the world, another example of the country’s prominence in world football.
“We’re exactly where we want to be,” de la Fuente said. “We are honored to represent a great national team with great players. But the real benefit for us is that we look for good traveling companions, people with values and principles that make our lives easier, and at the same time very talented. We will enjoy this for now, because it is historic, and then we will start thinking match by match again.”
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
