On Sunday this current Spain side proved emphatically that they are the greatest international team of the modern era. There is no doubt in my mind that they have risen to first place in the all-time rankings of natonal teams with their triumph at Euro 2012, with which they simultaneously became the first team ever to win consecutive European Championships and the first team to win three major international tournaments in a row (if you exclude the Uruguay side who won the Olympics in 1924 and 1928 and the inaugural 1930 World Cup). People have levelled the criticism that they play 'boring' football at them, particularly in this year's Euros tournament, yet it is impossible to argue with their success and the aesthetically pleasing qualities of many of their goals. Amongst their best were Jordi Alba's in the Final, Xabi Alonso's first in the quarter-final with France and Cesc Fabregas's in the opening group game with Italy, the team they again met in the Final.
Spain have an undeniably extremely talented and sophisticated group of players,many of whom have been playing together for years. That the majority of their opposition choose to defend en masse does admittedly render several of their games lacking in goalmouth action, but over their four-year period of dominance, this has never prevented them from winning a match. Sublime in possession going forward, their ability to regain the ball is also second to none with a formidable back-line protected by energetic midfielders who close down opponents more effectively than the majority of ultra-defensive teams in the world. Indeed, they haven't conceded a single goal in a knockout match at any of the last three tournaments. Spain have practically become unbeatable and know exactly how to play to their strengths.
Alongside their tactical and technical supremacy, one of their greatest advantages is the familiarity of their players with each other. Seven of their players have featured in all three of the Finals they have reached since Euro 2008. A further seven have featured in at least two. These figures would be increased if not for injuries sustained by Carles Puyol and David Villa. A huge amount of their players are familiar at club level (the Barcelona and Real Madrid contingents forming the core of the national team) and others have played with each other for years in the Spanish national youth teams. This truly incredible generation are record-breakers. A quick look at La Furia Roja's records sees Villa out in front as all time top scorer on 51 goals with Fernando Torres lodged in third place on 31. The former is only 30 and the latter only 28. Iker Casillas is by far the most-capped Spanish player with 137 at the age of 31 and is the first ever international player to rack up a century of victories. However, Xavi and Xabi Alonso are also centurions (with the former Liverpool man reaching the mark in the quarter-final win over France) and Torres, Puyol and remarkably the 26-year-old Ramos are all currently between the 90 and 100 cap marks. In contrast to England's David Beckham, Michael Owen and co, this generation is truly golden.
But what marks out Spain as definitively the greatest international team of the modern era, and almost certainly of all time is the fact they can let their trophies do the talking. Brazil of 1970 only won one World Cup (their were admittedly no Copa America tournaments between 1967 and '75). The 'Total Football' Holland team of Johan Cruyff famously failed to win anything. The West Germany of Franz Beckenbauer got to three finals in a row, but unlike Spain, they lost the third one. The Brazil of the 90s lost spectacularly to France in 1998 and the France side from that year and 2000 were sharply humiliated in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup and even if they hadn't have been, they could never quite dominate or convince as much as Vicente Del Bosque's men have. It is unthinkable for a group stage exit to happen to Spain any time soon. Three in a row could well become four or more as they are showing no sign of slowing down just yet. With the likes of Iniesta, Fabregas, Silva, Pique, Ramos, Pedro Rodriguez and Jesus Navas still with plenty of years ahead of them, and youngsters such as Barcelona's Thiago Alcantara and Cristian Tello, Marseille's Cesar Azpilicueta and Manchester United's David de Gea coming through the ranks, this incredible team of tiki-taka Spaniards is going to take some stopping.
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