Eleven years, three finals and five coaches later, Spain dances again

On the grass of 'La Bañera', which is the name of the Feyenoord field, the little papers of the celebration, the photos, the jumps and the songs. The paraphernalia that surrounds the Nations League allowed Spain to think that it had won a great title. And that's a half truth. Spain has won an official title 11 years after the last one (Euro 2012), but they haven't really won a big title.. The Nations is a biannual competition born in 2018 (Spain played its first match at Wembley, a 1-2 victory in Luis Enrique's debut) that has seen its third resolution in the Netherlands.

The first edition was won by Portugal, the second by France, precisely by Spain at San Siro, and the third has been for the only team that has played two finals. The inexperience of the tournament and the fact that a preliminary phase is played and, several months later, a Final Four (to be here, Spain beat Portugal last September), mean that it is still not recognizable to the public, and that a lot of less acquire the patina of great tournament. A great title? No. A title? Yeah.

And, as a title, Spain breaks an 11-year streak in which the European champion team in Kiev, which had been in South Africa and in Vienna, has vanished (here only two remained, Alba and Navas, of the 2012 champions). Of course, it was not the first time that Spain could win a trophy, although all minors. He lost the final of the Brazilian Confederations Cup in 2013 against the hostess and lost, it is written, the final of the Nations in Milan in 2021 against Mbappé's France.

Stumbles in eighths

It has been a little over a decade where, in major competitions, Spain has been far from the spotlight. The great champion team ended up disintegrating in Brazil 2014, with Del Bosque at the controls. There Torres, Xavi and Xabi Alonso left, and practically Villa. They hurried, under the baton of Vicente, Silva, Iniesta, Ramos or Piqué, and all passed the 2016 Euro Cup, where Italy passed over the selection in a round of 16 match in Paris (2-0).

That defeat led to the end of the cycle for Del Bosque, who was replaced by Lopetegui, and for Iker Casillas, who never returned to the team.. After two years with almost no scratches, it is known what happened a few days after the start of the World Cup in Russia. Lopetegui jumped into the air and Hierro, with very little desire, swallowed the toad of leading the team. Another defeat in the round of 16, this time against the weak Russian team (on penalties) caused a catharsis similar to that of 2012. Piqué, Silva and Iniesta left, and the arrival of Luis Enrique ended up breaking everything that had come before, except for Sergio Ramos, the great captain, who held out until just before the next big tournament.

BACK TO THE ELITE

The 2020 Euro Cup, which was played a year later with the pandemic, returned Spain to the semifinals, these are indeed a great event. He fell, with honours, against Italy at Wembley, on penalties. By that time, even the guy who had played the most games with this shirt was no longer there, and only Sergio Busquets kept alive the flame of the great team from the beginning of the decade.. Luis Enrique's project, interrupted for a few months due to the death of his daughter, which made Robert Moreno the coach (today we know that he was interim), continued until last December, when the team once again failed rudely in the round of 16 against Morocco.

The non-renewal of 'Lucho' opened the door for Luis de la Fuente, who in just four games has been able to lift this title, to which you can give whatever weight you want, never much, but that cuts an 11-year streak. That is undeniable, and that allows us to look to the future with some optimism.. “It's no longer just about winning, but about getting into a dynamic that teaches you how to win,” said Rodri, the beacon of this group, in the run-up to the clash against Croatia. Well that.