Spain national football team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Spain women's national football team.

Spain
Nickname(s)
  • La Furia Roja (The Red Fury)[1][2]
  • La Furia (The Fury)
  • La Roja (The Red [One])
Association Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Vicente del Bosque
Captain Iker Casillas
Most caps Iker Casillas (166)[3]
Top scorer David Villa (59)
FIFA code ESP
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 6 Steady (5 May 2016)
Highest 1 (July 2008 – June 2009, October 2009 – March 2010, July 2010 – July 2011, October 2011 – July 2014)
Lowest 25 (March 1998)
Elo ranking
Current 4 (9 November 2015)
Highest 1 (Sept 1920 – May 1924, Sept – Dec 1925, June 2002, June 2008 – June 2009, July 2010 - September 2011 - June 2013)
Lowest 20 (June 1969, June 1981, November 1991)
First international
 Spain 1–0 Denmark 
(Brussels, Belgium; 28 August 1920)
Biggest win
 Spain 13–0 Bulgaria 
(Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
Biggest defeat
 Spain 1–7 Italy 
(Amsterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 1928)
 England 7–1 Spain 
(London, England; 9 December 1931)
World Cup
Appearances 14 (First in 1934)
Best result Champions, 2010
European Championship
Appearances 9 (First in 1964)
Best result Champions, 1964, 2008 and 2012
Summer Olympics
Appearances 10 (First in 1920)
Best result Champions, 1992
Confederations Cup
Appearances 2 (First in 2009)
Best result Runners-up, 2013

The Spain national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de España)[lower-alpha 1] represents Spain in International association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque. The Spanish side is commonly referred to as La Roja ("The Red [One]"), La Furia Roja ("The Red Fury"), La Furia Española ("The Spanish Fury") or simply La Furia ("The Fury").[5][6] Spain became a member of FIFA in 1904 even though the Spanish Football Federation was first established in 1909. Spain's national team debuted in 1920. Since then, the Spanish national team has participated in a total of 14 of 20 FIFA World Cups and 9 of 14 UEFA European Championships.

Spain are one of eight national teams to have been crowned FIFA World Cup champions, having won the 2010 tournament in South Africa, defeating the Netherlands 1–0 to become the first European team to win the title outside of Europe. They are currently the reigning European champions, having won back-to-back titles in Euro 2008 and Euro 2012, defeating Germany and Italy in the respective finals. These three successive titles make them the only national team so far with three consecutive wins of either the applicable continental championship or the World Cup. From 2008 to 2013, a six-year span, the national team won FIFA Team of the Year, the second-most of any nation, behind only Brazil.[7] Between November 2006 and June 2009 Spain went undefeated for a record-equalling 35 consecutive matches before their upset loss to the United States, a record shared with Brazil.[8] The team's achievements have led many commentators, experts and former players to consider the 2010 and 2012 Spanish sides among the best ever international sides in world football.[9][10][11][12][13]

History

The first Spain national football team was constituted in 1920, with the main objective of finding a team that would represent Spain at the Summer Olympics held in Belgium in that same year. Spain made their debut at the tournament on 28 August 1920 against Denmark, silver medallists at the last two Olympic tournaments. The Spanish managed to win that match by a scoreline of 1–0, eventually finishing with the silver medal.[14] Spain qualified for their first FIFA World Cup in 1934, defeating Brazil in their first game and losing in a replay to the hosts and eventual champions Italy in the quarter-finals.[15] The Spanish Civil War and World War II prevented Spain from playing any competitive matches between the 1934 World Cup and the 1950 edition's qualifiers. At the 1950 finals in Brazil, they topped their group to progress to the final round, then finished in fourth place.[16] Until 2010, this had been Spain's highest finish in a FIFA World Cup finals, which had given them the name of the "underachievers".[17][18]

Spain won its first major international title when hosting the 1964 European Championship held in Spain, defeating the Soviet Union 2–1 in the final at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.[19] The victory would stand as Spain's lone major title for 44 years. Spain was selected as host of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, reaching the second round, and four years later they reached the quarter-finals before a penalty shootout defeat to Belgium.[20]

Javier Clemente was appointed as Spain's coach in 1992, leading them to the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup. The match became controversial when Italian defender Mauro Tassotti struck Luis Enrique with his elbow inside Spain's penalty area, causing Luis Enrique to bleed profusely from his nose and mouth, but he foul was not noticed nor sanctioned by referee Sándor Puhl. Had the official acknowledged the foul, Spain would have merited a penalty kick.[21] In the 2002 World Cup, Spain won its three group play matches, then defeated the Republic of Ireland on penalties in the second round. They faced co-hosts South Korea in the quarter-finals, losing in a shootout after having two goals called back for alleged infractions during regular and extra time.[22]

World Cup champions parade, celebrate as they pass in front of the Air Force Headquarters in Madrid.

At UEFA Euro 2008, Spain won all their games in Group D. Italy were the opponents in the quarter-final match, which Spain won 4–2 on penalties. They then met Russia again in the semi-final, beating them 3–0.[23] In the final, Spain defeated Germany 1–0, with Fernando Torres scoring the only goal of the game.[24] This was Spain's first major title since the 1964 European Championship. Xavi was awarded the player of the tournament.[25] In the 2010 World Cup, Spain advanced to the final for the first time ever by defeating Germany 1–0. In the decisive match against the Netherlands, Andrés Iniesta scored the match's only goal, coming in extra time. Spain became the third team to win a World Cup outside their own continent, and the first European team to do so. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas won the golden glove for only conceding two goals during the tournament, while David Villa won the bronze ball and silver boot, tied for top scorer of the tournament.

Spain qualified top of Group I in qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 with a perfect 100% record. They became the first team to retain the European Championship, winning the final 4–0 against Italy. Two years later, however, they were eliminated from the group stage of the 2014 World Cup.[26]

Team image

Colours

Spain's traditional kit is a red jersey with yellow trim, accompanied by dark blue shorts and socks while their current away kit is all black with neon yellow stripes. The colour of the socks altered throughout the 1990s from black to the same colour as the blue shorts. Spain's kits have been produced by manufacturers including Adidas (from 1982 until 1984), Le Coq Sportif (from 1984 until 1992) and Adidas once again (since 1992).

Their current home kit is now all red. The current third kit is all white with red and yellow trim. Rather than displaying the logo of the Spanish football federation, Spain's jersey traditionally features the coat of arms of Spain over the left breast. After winning the 2010 World Cup, the World Cup winners badge was added to the right breast of the jersey and a golden star at the top of the Spanish coat of arms.

Spain, champions of the UEFA Euro 2008.
Spain, champions of UEFA Euro 2012.

We have the same idea as each other. Keep the ball, create movement around and off the ball, get in the spaces to cause danger.

“
”

—Xabi Alonso (Spanish midfielder)[27]

Style of play

Main article: Tiki-taka

Tiki-taka is, above all, a systems approach to football founded upon team unity and a comprehensive understanding in the geometry of space on a football field.[28]

Tiki-taka has been variously described as "a style of play based on making your way to the back of the net through short passing and movement",[29] a "short passing style in which the ball is worked carefully through various channels",[30] and a "nonsensical phrase that has come to mean short passing, patience and possession above all else".[31] The style involves roaming movement and positional interchange amongst midfielders, moving the ball in intricate patterns,[32] and sharp, one or two-touch passing.[27] Tiki-taka is "both defensive and offensive in equal measure" – the team is always in possession, so doesn't need to switch between defending and attacking.[33] Commentators have contrasted tiki-taka with "route one physicality"[29] and with the higher-tempo passing of Barcelona and Arsène Wenger's 2007–08 Arsenal side, which employed Cesc Fàbregas as the only channel between defence and attack.[30] Tiki-taka is associated with flair, creativity, and touch,[34] but can also be taken to a "slow, directionless extreme" that sacrifices effectiveness for aesthetics.[31]

Tiki-taka has been used successfully by the Spanish national team to win UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012.

Sid Lowe identifies Luis Aragonés' tempering of tiki-taka with pragmatism as a key factor in Spain's success in Euro 2008. Aragonés used tiki-taka to "protect a defense that appeared suspect [...], maintain possession and dominate games" without taking the style to "evangelical extremes". None of Spain's first six goals in the tournament came from tiki-taka: five came from direct breaks and one from a set play.[31] For Lowe, Spain's success in the 2010 World Cup was evidence of the meeting of two traditions in Spanish football: the "powerful, aggressive, direct" style that earned the silver medal-winning 1920 Antwerp Olympics team the nickname La Furia Roja ("The Red Fury") and the tiki-taka style of the contemporary Spanish team, which focused on a collective, short-passing, technical and possession-based game.[35]

Analyzing Spain's semi-final victory over Germany at the 2010 World Cup, Honigstein described the Spanish team's tiki-taka style as "the most difficult version of football possible: an uncompromising passing game, coupled with intense, high pressing". For Honigstein, tiki-taka is "a significant upgrade" of Total Football because it relies on ball movement rather than players switching position. Tiki-taka allowed Spain to "control both the ball and the opponent".[33]

Home stadium

Spain does not have a designated national stadium, and as such, major qualifying matches are usually played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Other large grounds used include the Vicente Calderón Stadium, also in Madrid, and the Mestalla in Valencia. Spain are unbeaten in competitive matches played at the Calderón. Some international friendlies are played in these larger stadia, as well as the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville.

Other friendly matches, as well as qualifying fixtures against smaller opponents, are played in provincial stadia. The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign included matches at El Molinón in Gijón,[36] the Iberostar Stadium in Palma,[37] and the Estadio Carlos Belmonte in Albacete.[38]

Media coverage in Spain

Spain's UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying and 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches, will be televised nationwide by La 1, flagship television channel of the public broadcaster TVE.

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Spain Vicente del Bosque
Assistant coach Spain José Antonio Grande
Goalkeeping coach Spain José Manuel Ochotorena
Trainer Spain Francisco Javier Miñano Espín

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly matches against Italy on 24 March and Romania on 27 March 2016.[39]
Caps and goals updated as of 27 March 2016 after the match against Romania.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Iker Casillas (Captain) (1981-05-20) 20 May 1981 166 0 Portugal Porto
12 1GK David de Gea (1990-11-07) 7 November 1990 8 0 England Manchester United
23 1GK Sergio Rico (1993-09-01) 1 September 1993 0 0 Spain Sevilla
15 2DF Sergio Ramos (1986-03-30) 30 March 1986 131 10 Spain Real Madrid
3 2DF Gerard Piqué (1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 76 4 Spain Barcelona
18 2DF Jordi Alba (1989-03-21) 21 March 1989 42 6 Spain Barcelona
16 2DF Juanfran (1985-01-09) 9 January 1985 17 0 Spain Atlético Madrid
2 2DF César Azpilicueta (1989-08-28) 28 August 1989 14 0 England Chelsea
4 2DF Marc Bartra (1991-01-15) 15 January 1991 9 0 Spain Barcelona
17 2DF Nacho (1990-01-18) 18 January 1990 4 0 Spain Real Madrid
19 2DF Mario Gaspar (1990-11-24) 24 November 1990 3 2 Spain Villarreal
10 3MF Cesc Fàbregas (1987-05-04) 4 May 1987 103 14 England Chelsea
21 3MF David Silva (1986-01-08) 8 January 1986 96 23 England Manchester City
13 3MF Juan Mata (1988-04-28) 28 April 1988 41 10 England Manchester United
8 3MF Koke (1992-01-08) 8 January 1992 22 0 Spain Atlético Madrid
22 3MF Isco (1992-04-21) 21 April 1992 14 1 Spain Real Madrid
14 3MF Thiago (1991-04-11) 11 April 1991 7 0 Germany Bayern Munich
6 3MF Mikel San José (1989-05-30) 30 May 1989 5 0 Spain Athletic Bilbao
25 3MF Sergi Roberto (1992-02-07) 7 February 1992 1 0 Spain Barcelona
11 4FW Pedro (1987-07-28) 28 July 1987 56 16 England Chelsea
9 4FW Paco Alcácer (1993-08-30) 30 August 1993 13 6 Spain Valencia
7 4FW Álvaro Morata (1992-10-23) 23 October 1992 8 1 Italy Juventus
24 4FW Nolito (1986-10-15) 15 October 1986 6 0 Spain Celta
20 4FW Aritz Aduriz (1981-02-11) 11 February 1981 3 1 Spain Athletic Bilbao

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Óscar de Marcos (1989-04-14) 14 April 1989 0 0 Spain Athletic Bilbao v.  England, 13 November 2015
DF Xabier Etxeita (1987-10-31) 31 October 1987 1 0 Spain Athletic Bilbao v.  Ukraine, 12 October 2015
DF Dani Carvajal (1992-01-11) 11 January 1992 5 0 Spain Real Madrid v.  Luxembourg, 9 October 2015 INJ
DF Iñigo Martínez (1991-05-17) 17 May 1991 1 0 Spain Real Sociedad v.  Luxembourg, 9 October 2015 INJ
DF Juan Bernat (1993-03-01) 1 March 1993 7 1 Germany Bayern Munich v.  Macedonia, 8 September 2015
DF Rubén Duarte (1995-10-18) 18 October 1995 0 0 Spain Espanyol v.  Costa Rica, 11 June 2015 PRE
DF Héctor Bellerín (1995-03-19) 19 March 1995 0 0 England Arsenal v.  Costa Rica, 11 June 2015 PRE
DF José Luis Gayà (1995-05-25) 25 May 1995 0 0 Spain Valencia v.  Costa Rica, 11 June 2015 PRE
MF Sergio Busquets (1988-07-16) 16 July 1988 83 2 Spain Barcelona v.  Italy, 24 March 2016 INJ
MF Andrés Iniesta (1984-05-11) 11 May 1984 107 13 Spain Barcelona v.  England, 13 November 2015
MF Santi Cazorla (1984-12-13) 13 December 1984 78 14 England Arsenal v.  England, 13 November 2015
MF Bruno (1984-06-12) 12 June 1984 6 0 Spain Villarreal v.  Luxembourg, 9 October 2015
MF Vitolo (1989-11-03) 3 November 1989 3 0 Spain Sevilla v.  Macedonia, 8 September 2015
MF Aleix Vidal (1989-08-21) 21 August 1989 1 0 Spain Barcelona v.  Belarus, 14 June 2015
MF Saúl Ñíguez (1994-11-21) 21 November 1994 0 0 Spain Atlético Madrid v.  Costa Rica, 11 June 2015 PRE
FW Diego Costa (1988-10-07) 7 October 1988 10 1 England Chelsea v.  England, 13 November 2015
FW Munir El Haddadi (1995-09-01) 1 September 1995 1 0 Spain Barcelona v.  Costa Rica, 11 June 2015 PRE

Notes:

Previous squads

World Cup
European Football Championship
Confederations Cup

Most capped players

Below is a list of the ten players with the most caps for Spain, as of 27 March 2016.[3][40] Players in bold are still active at international level.

# Player Period Caps Goals
1 Iker Casillas 2000– 166 0
2 Xavi 2000–2014 133 12
3 Sergio Ramos 2005– 131 10
4 Andoni Zubizarreta 1985–1998 126 0
5 Xabi Alonso 2003–2014 114 16
6 Fernando Torres 2003– 110 38
7 Andrés Iniesta 2006– 107 13
8 Cesc Fàbregas 2006– 103 14
9 Raúl 1996–2006 102 44
10 Carles Puyol 2000–2013 100 3

Top goalscorers

Below is a list of the top ten goalscorers for Spain, as of 27 March 2016.[41][42]

# Player Period Goals Caps Average
1 David Villa (list) 2005–2014 59 97 0.61
2 Raúl (list) 1996–2006 44 102 0.43
3 Fernando Torres 2003– 38 110 0.35
4 Fernando Hierro 1989–2002 29 89 0.33
5 Fernando Morientes 1998–2007 27 47 0.57
6 Emilio Butragueño 1984–1992 26 69 0.38
7 Alfredo Di Stefano 1957–1961 23 31 0.74
David Silva 2006– 23 96 0.24
9 Julio Salinas 1986–1996 22 56 0.39
10 Míchel 1985–1992 21 66 0.32

Results and fixtures

For all past match results of the national team, see single-season articles and the team's results page

The following matches were played or are scheduled to be played by the national team in the current or upcoming seasons.

2015

2016

Records

Iker Casillas holds the record for most appearances for the Spanish team with 165 since 2000. He is one of eight Spanish players to have reached 100 caps. Xavi is second, having played 133 times since 2000. Sergio Ramos has played for Spain 130 times since his debut in 2005 and is the third most capped player.

David Villa holds the title of Spain's highest goalscorer, scoring 59 goals since 2005-2014, during which time he played for Spain on 97 occasions. Raúl González is the second highest goalscorer, scoring 44 goals in 102 appearances between 1996–2006. Fernando Torres is the third highest goalscorer with 38 goals in 110 appearances since 2003.

Between November 2006 and June 2009, Spain went undefeated for a record-equaling 35 consecutive matches before their loss to the United States in the Confederations Cup, a record shared with Brazil, and included a record 15-game winning streak. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Spain became the first European national team to lift the World Cup trophy outside of Europe; along with Brazil, Germany and Argentina, Spain is one of the four national teams to have won the FIFA World Cup outside of its home continent.

Competitive record

For the all-time record of the national team against opposing nations, see the team's all-time record page.

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Did Not Enter Declined Participation
Italy 1934 Quarter-Finals 5th 3 1 1 1 4 3 2 2 0 0 11 1
France 1938 Withdrew Qualified but withdrew due to civil war
Brazil 1950 Fourth Place 4th 6 3 1 2 10 12 2 2 0 0 7 3
Switzerland 1954 Did Not Qualify 3 1 1 1 6 3
Sweden 1958 4 2 1 1 12 8
Chile 1962 Group Stage 13th 3 1 0 2 2 3 4 3 1 0 7 4
England 1966 10th 3 1 0 2 4 5 3 2 0 1 5 2
Mexico 1970 Did Not Qualify 6 2 2 2 10 6
West Germany 1974 5 2 2 1 8 5
Argentina 1978 Group Stage 10th 3 1 1 1 2 2 4 3 0 1 4 1
Spain 1982 Round 2 12th 5 1 2 2 4 5 Qualified as host
Mexico 1986 Quarter-Finals 7th 5 3 1 1 11 4 6 4 0 2 9 8
Italy 1990 Round of 16 10th 4 2 1 1 6 4 8 6 1 1 20 3
United States 1994 Quarter-Finals 8th 5 2 2 1 10 6 12 8 3 1 27 4
France 1998 Group Stage 17th 3 1 1 1 8 4 10 8 2 0 26 6
South Korea Japan 2002 Quarter-Finals 5th 5 3 2 0 10 5 8 6 2 0 21 4
Germany 2006 Round of 16 9th 4 3 0 1 9 4 10 5 5 0 19 3
South Africa 2010 Champions 1st 7 6 0 1 8 2 10 10 0 0 28 5
Brazil 2014 Group Stage 23rd 3 1 0 2 4 7 8 6 2 0 14 3
Total 1 Title 14/20 59 29 12 18 92 66 105 72 22 11 240 71

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 No European team participated
Saudi Arabia 1995 Did Not Qualify
Saudi Arabia 1997
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001
France 2003
Germany 2005
South Africa 2009 Third Place 3rd 5 4 0 1 11 4 Squad
Brazil 2013 Runners-up 2nd 5311154Squad
Total Second Place 2/9 10 7 1 2 26 8 -

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D* L GF GA
France 1960 Withdrew Declined to play the Soviet Union
Spain 1964 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 4 2 6 4 1 1 16 5
Italy 1968 Did Not Qualify 8 3 2 3 7 5
Belgium 1972 6 3 2 1 14 3
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976 8 3 4 1 11 9
Italy 1980 Group Stage 7th 3 0 1 2 2 4 6 4 1 1 13 5
France 1984 Runners-up 2nd 5 1 3 1 4 5 8 6 1 1 24 8
West Germany 1988 Group Stage 6th 3 1 0 2 3 5 6 5 0 1 14 8
Sweden 1992 Did Not Qualify 7 3 0 4 17 12
England 1996 Quarter-Finals 6th 4 1 3 0 4 3 10 8 2 0 25 4
BelgiumNetherlands 2000 5th 4 2 0 2 7 7 8 7 0 1 42 5
Portugal 2004 Group Stage 10th 3 1 1 1 2 2 10 7 2 1 21 5
AustriaSwitzerland 2008 Champions 1st 6 5 1 0 12 3 12 9 1 2 23 8
PolandUkraine 2012 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 12 1 8 8 0 0 26 6
France 2016 Qualified 10 9 0 1 23 3
European Union 2020 To Be Determined
Total 3 Titles 9/14 36 17 11 8 50 32 116 82 16 18 288 87

Summer Olympics

Summer Olympics record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA
Belgium 1920 Runners-up2nd540195
France1924 Round 117th100101
Netherlands 1928Quarter-Finals6th311199
Nazi Germany1936 Withdrew
United Kingdom1948 Did Not Qualify
Finland1952
Australia1956
Italy1960
Japan1964
Mexico1968 Quarter-Finals5th421142
West Germany1972 Did Not Qualify
Canada1976 Group Stage13th200213
Soviet Union1980 Group Stage10th303022
United States1984 Did Not Qualify
South Korea1988
Spain1992 Champions1st6600142
United States1996 Quarter-Finals6th421157
Australia2000 Runners-up2nd6411126
Greece2004 Did Not Qualify
China2008
United Kingdom2012 Group Stage14th301202
Brazil2016 Did Not Qualify
Total 1 Gold Medal 11/21 37 19 7 10 56 39
*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Since 1968, Spain has sent its amateur national team.
**Since 1992, Spain has sent its under 23 national team.

Mediterranean Games

Mediterranean Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D * L GF GA
Egypt 1951 Did Not Qualify
Spain 1955 Runners-Up 2nd 321062
Lebanon 1959 Did Not Qualify
Italy 1963 Third Place 3rd 5320155
Tunisia 1967 Third Place 3rd 522175
Turkey 1971 Did Not Enter[43]
Algeria 1975
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1979
Morocco 1983
Syria 1987
Greece 1991
France 1993
Italy 1997 Fourth Place 4th 411224
Tunisia 2001 Did Not Qualify
Spain 2005 Champions 1st 431091
Italy 2009 Champions 1st 431094
Turkey 2013 Did Not Enter
Total2 Titles7/192514837227

Resource: The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Honours

Competition 1st 2nd 3rd Total
World Cup 1 0 0 1
Olympic Games 1 2 0 3
European Championship 3 1 0 4
Confederations Cup 0 1 1 2
Total 5 4 1 10
This is a list of honours for the senior Spanish national team

FIFA World Cup

  • Winners (1): 2010
  • Fourth Place (1): 1950

UEFA European Championship

FIFA Confederations Cup

  • Runner-up (1): 2013
  • Third Place (1): 2009

Summer Olympics

Other awards

  • Winners (1): 2010
  • Winners (1): 2011
Unofficial Awards
  • Winners (3): 2008, 2010, 2012
  • Winners (1): 2010
  • Winners (1): 2012
  • Holders (5): 11 June 1961 – 31 May 1962, 12 January 1972 – 2 May 1973, 18 June 1986 – 22 June 1986, 28 March 2001 – 27 March 2002, 11 July 2010 – 7 September 2010

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Spanish pronunciation:
    Selección de fútbol de España [seleɣˈθjon de ˈfuðβol de esˈpaɲa]
    La Roja [la ˈroxa]
    La Furia Roja [la ˈfuɾja ˈroxa]
    La Furia [la ˈfuɾja]
    La Furia Española [la ˈfuɾja espaˈɲola]

References

  1. ↑ ""La Roja" from Miguel, Spain". 17 June 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  2. ↑ "La Roja lean to the left". FIFA. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Statistics – Most-capped players". European football database. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  4. 1 2 Since 1992, squads for Football at the Summer Olympics have been restricted to three players over the age of 23, which Javier will play in 2016. The achievements of such teams are not usually included in the statistics of the international team.
  5. ↑ "La red social de aficionados de la Selección Española". Juegalaroja.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "Otro junio de ilusión: todos con la Roja" (in Spanish). Notas de fútbol. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/fifa-awards.html#team
  8. ↑ "Spain win again to extend unbeaten streak". CNN. 20 June 2009.
  9. ↑ Pitt-Brooke, Jack (3 July 2012). "The greatest team of all time: Brazil 1970 v Spain 2012". The Independent (London: The Independent). Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  10. ↑ "Euro 2012: Are Spain the best team of all time?". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  11. ↑ Klinsmann, Jurgen. "Klinsmann: Spain win over Italy would make them team of century". BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  12. ↑ Carlisle, Jeff. "Why this Spain side is all-time best". ESPN. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  13. ↑ "Spain vs. Italy: Euro 2012 Final Not Enough to Crown Spain Best Ever". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  14. ↑ "Antwerp, 1920". FIFA. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "Delight for the Azzurri as home advantage tells". FIFA. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  16. ↑ "Uruguay triumph brings heartbreak for Brazil". FIFA. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  17. ↑ Bull, JJ. "Xavi: The greatest midfielder of a generation". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "Now you're gonna believe us: Spain are no longer the great under-achievers, says Casillas". Daily Mail. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  19. ↑ Sanghera, Mandeep (12 May 2012). "Euro 1964: A forgotten Spanish triumph". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  20. ↑ Estepa, Javier. "Los penaltis cerraron las puertas de las 'semis' a La Roja" [Penalties close the doors to the semis for La Roja]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  21. ↑ Jurado, J. Carlos. "El perdón de Luis Enrique a Tassotti que nunca llegó" [The pardon from Tassotti to Luis Enrique which never arrived]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  22. ↑ Hayward, Paul (23 June 2002). "Korean miracle spoilt by refereeing farce". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  23. ↑ "Euro 2008 Final Preview: Germany vs Spain". 29 June 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  24. ↑ McNulty, Phil (29 June 2008). "Germany 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport (London). Retrieved 20 August 2009.
  25. ↑ Spanish players named in the team of the tournament were: goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas; defenders Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena; midfielders Xavi, Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta and Marcos Senna; and strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres.
  26. ↑ Krishnan, Joe (18 June 2014). "World Cup 2014: Spain and the World Cup holders who crashed out at the group stage". The Independent. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  27. 1 2 Ladyman, Ian (8 July 2010). "Beat Spain? It's hard enough to get the ball back, say defeated Germany". London: Mail Online. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  28. ↑ Davies, Jed C. (16 July 2012). "Systems Football: The Basics – Tiki-Taka / Totaal-Voetball. This system is highly influenced by Fc Barcelona passing game (already based on Dutch 70s football principles)". EPLindex (London). Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  29. 1 2 Marcotti, Gabriele (14 April 2008). "New coaching breed gives heart to Spain". The Times (London). Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  30. 1 2 Hynter, David (10 June 2008). "Fábregas takes positive view, from the bench". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  31. 1 2 3 Lowe, Sid (2 July 2008). "The definitive story of how Aragonés led Spain to Euro 2008 glory". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  32. ↑ Pearce, Jonathan (29 June 2008). "If Spain can reign it will be so good for the old game". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  33. 1 2 Honigstein, Raphael (8 July 2010). "Why Spain were anything but boring". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  34. ↑ Clegg, Jonathan; Espinoza, Javier (31 March 2010). "Fantasy football comes alive". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  35. ↑ Lowe, Sid (9 July 2010). "Spain's "Tiki-taka" style dominates". SI.com. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
  36. ↑ Ross, Dan (22 March 2013). "Pukki the hero as Finland frustrate Spain". UEFA. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  37. ↑ "World Cup qualifier: Spain on verge of qualification after 2-1 win over Belarus". Sky Sports News. 11 October 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  38. ↑ "World Cup qualifiers: Holders Spain secured their passage with a 2-0 win over Georgia". Sky Sports News. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  39. ↑ http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2016/03/18/seleccion/1458301154_949116.html
  40. ↑ "Ranking – Played Matches". BDFUTBOL. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  41. ↑ "Spain national football team goal scorers". European football database. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  42. ↑ "Ranking – Goals". BDFUTBOL. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  43. ↑ From 1963 to 1993 Spain participated with its amateur team

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