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Nickname(s) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Association | Royal Spanish Football Federation (Real Federación Española de Fútbol – RFEF) | |||||||||||||||||
Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | |||||||||||||||||
Head coach | Vicente del Bosque | |||||||||||||||||
Captain | Iker Casillas | |||||||||||||||||
Most caps | Iker Casillas (140) | |||||||||||||||||
Top scorer | David Villa (52) | |||||||||||||||||
FIFA code | ESP | |||||||||||||||||
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FIFA ranking | ||||||||||||||||||
Current | 1 ![]() | |||||||||||||||||
Highest | 1 (July 2008 – June 2009, October 2009 – March 2010, July 2010 – July 2011, October 2011 – present) | |||||||||||||||||
Lowest | 25 (March 1998) | |||||||||||||||||
First international | ||||||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() (Brussels, Belgium; 28 August 1920) | ||||||||||||||||||
Biggest win | ||||||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() (Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933) | ||||||||||||||||||
Biggest defeat | ||||||||||||||||||
![]() ![]() (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 1928) ![]() ![]() (London, England; 9 December 1931) | ||||||||||||||||||
World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 13 (first in 1934) | |||||||||||||||||
Best result | Winners, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||
European Championship | ||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 9 (first in 1964) | |||||||||||||||||
Best result | Winners, 1964, 2008, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||
Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 10 (first in 1920) | |||||||||||||||||
Best result | Winners, 1992 | |||||||||||||||||
FIFA Confederations Cup | ||||||||||||||||||
Appearances | 1 (first in 2009) | |||||||||||||||||
Best result | Third place, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
The Spain national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de España) 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") or La Furia Roja ("The Red Fury").[4][5] 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 have participated in a total of thirteen of nineteen FIFA World Cup and nine of fourteen European Championships.
Spain are the reigning World and European champions, having won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. The national team are currently ranked number 1 in both the FIFA World Ranking and the World Football Elo Ratings. The Spanish national football team's triumph in Euro 2008, in addition to the aforementioned cup victories, makes them the only national team in history to win three major tournaments consecutively. These achievements have led many commentators, experts and former players to consider the current Spanish side the best ever in world football.[6][7][8]
Between November 2006 and June 2009 Spain went undefeated for a record-equaling 35 consecutive matches before their loss to the United States, a record shared with Brazil, including a record 15-game winning streak and thus earning third place in the Confederations Cup. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup Spain became the first European team to lift the World Cup trophy outside of Europe and along with Argentina and Brazil are the only national teams to have won the FIFA World Cup outside of their continents.
Until the European Football Championship in 2008, Spain was often seen as a team that would always fail to succeed in very important international competitions. The European Football Championship in 1964 was indeed the way to the top after winning 2-1 against the Soviet Union, but this was the exception to the rule. Spain's national team was often referred to as the national team that never made it on the national level, even though they dominated at club level. Since European club matches were introduced in 1960, Spanish teams often came to the final, with a total of thirteen victories and nine runners-up in the UEFA Champions League (as of July 2012), and it was the first country with two teams in the final, but Spain had long lacked success in international football.
Since 2008 this has changed. In the European Football Championship of 2008, Spain became European champions for the second time after dominating the group and knockout stage then defeating Germany in the finals. They followed up two years later by winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where they beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the final after extra time. Spain then won the European Football Championship in 2012 with a 4-0 win over Italy in the final. The team became the first in history to win three major championships in a row. Spain has been ranked at the top of FIFA's world rankings since they won the World Cup in 2010, and has been either the top or second ranked national team since they won the European Championship in 2008.
History
Early years and the effect of war
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Selecci%C3%B3n_espa%C3%B1ola_-_Amberes_1920.jpg/300px-Selecci%C3%B3n_espa%C3%B1ola_-_Amberes_1920.jpg)
The Real Federación Española de Fútbol (English: Royal Spanish Football Federation) was founded in 1909 and became affiliated with FIFA in 1913. However, the national team did not play a full international match until 1920 when they beat Denmark 1–0 in the Olympic Games. They made their FIFA World Cup debut in 1934, for which they qualified after 9–0 and 2–1 wins over Portugal. They beat Brazil 3–1 in the first round, before losing 1–0 in a replay to hosts, and eventual champions Italy in Florence. On 3 May 1936 Spain beat Switzerland 2–0 in Bern, in what would prove to be their last game until after the Spanish Civil War in 1941. They would then play only against similarly politically-aligned countries, or Switzerland, Republic of Ireland and Portugal, neutral during World War II until 1949 when they drew 1–1 with Belgium and re-entered FIFA competition.
1950s
The Spanish Civil War and World War II prevented Spain from playing any competitive matches between the 1934 World Cup and the 1950 World Cup qualifiers, where they overcame Iberian rivals Portugal, who later declined an invitation to take part, with a 5–1 win and 2–2 draw. At the finals in Brazil, they topped their group against England, Chile and the United States to progress to the final round. For the first, and so far only time in the history of the FIFA World Cup, the winner was decided, not by a single championship match, but via a group format involving the four teams who had won their respective groups in the previous stage. The four teams in the final group were Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden and Spain. Spain failed to record a win (W0 D1 L2) and finished in fourth place. Until 2010, this had been Spain's highest finish in a FIFA World Cup finals, which had given them the name of the "underachievers." Spain's leading scorer during the 1950 World Cup was striker Estanislao Basora, who ended the tournament with five goals.
Under French-Argentine coach Helenio Herrera and Italian assistant coach Daniel Newlan, Spain came out of dormancy to qualify for the first European Championship in 1960. Spain beat Poland 7–2 on aggregate to progress to the quarterfinals. However, Spain forfeited its quarterfinal tie with the Soviet Union because of political disagreements between Spain's dictator Franco and the Soviets.
The Spaniards, led by Alfredo Di Stéfano, qualified for the 1962 World Cup, beating Wales 3–2 over two legs to advance to the UEFA/CAF play-off where they would beat Morocco 4–2 over two legs to advance to the final.
1964 European Championship
Spain won its first major international title after winning the 1964 European Championship held in Spain. Spain was able to defeat a highly favored Hungary side 2-1 to advance to the final against the Soviet Union, which General Francisco Franco refused to play four years earlier. Spain would go on to win the final played in Madrid by the same score of 2-1 after Marcelino broke the 1-1 tie in the 84th minute. The victory would stand as Spain's lone major title for 44 years.
1982 World Cup in Spain
In 1976, Spain was selected as host of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. This edition of the World Cup featured 24 teams for the first time. Expectations were high for Spain as the host nation under coach José Santamaría. In the group stages, Spain was drawn into Group 5, in which they could only manage a 1–1 draw with Honduras in the finals' opening match, after which they had a 2–1 victory over Yugoslavia, but were defeated 1–0 by Northern Ireland. These results were enough to secure progress to the second round where they were drawn into Group B, but defeat to West Germany and a goalless draw with England meant that Spain were knocked out, and Santamaría was sacked.
1984 to 1988
Former Real Madrid coach Miguel Muñoz, who had temporarily coached Spain in 1969, returned to coach the national team. Spain was in Euro 84 qualifying Group 7, against The Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Iceland, and Malta. Entering the last match, Spain needed to defeat Malta by at least 11 goals to surpass the Netherlands for the top spot in the group, and after leading 3–1 at half time, Spain scored nine goals in the second half to win by 12–1 and win the group. In the final tournament, Spain was drawn into group B with Romania, Portugal, and West Germany. After 1–1 draws against their first two opponents, Spain topped the group by virtue of a 1–0 victory against West Germany. The semifinals saw Spain and Denmark drawn at 1–1 after extra time, before Spain proceeded by virtue of winning the penalty shootout 5–4 on penalties. Hosts and tournament favourites France defeated Spain 2–0 in the final after a goalless first half.
Spain qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico having topped Group 7 with Scotland, Wales, and Iceland. Spain began the group stage by losing to Brazil 1–0, but progressed after beating Northern Ireland by 2–1 and Algeria by 3–0. Round 2 paired Spain with Denmark, who they overcame 5–1 with Emilio Butragueño scoring four goals, but in the quarterfinals a 1–1 draw with Belgium ended with Belgium winning 5–4 on penalties.
Muñoz was retained as coach for Euro 88. As in the several previous tournaments Spain qualified impressively in a group with Austria, Romania, and Albania. Spain were drawn into group A and began their tournament with a 3–2 victory over Denmark, but were nevertheless knocked out in the group stage after losing 1–0 and 2–0 to Italy and West Germany respectively.
1990 to 1992
For the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Spain had a new coach, Luis Suárez Miramontes. Having qualified from a group consisting of Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Northern Ireland, and Malta, Spain entered the competition on a good run of form, and after reaching the knock out stages through a 0–0 draw with Uruguay and wins over South Korea (3–1) and Belgium (2–1), fell to a 2–1 defeat to Yugoslavia in the second round.
Newly appointed coach Vicente Miera failed to gain qualification for Spain for Euro 92, after finishing third in a group behind France and Czechoslovakia. Vicente Miera did however lead Spain to the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics[3] in Barcelona.
Clemente's reign from 1992 to 1998
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Javier_Clemente_2.jpg/300px-Javier_Clemente_2.jpg)
Javier Clemente was appointed as Spain's coach in 1992, and the qualification for the 1994 World Cup was achieved with eight wins and one loss in twelve matches. In the final tournament Spain were in Group C in which they drew with Korea Republic 2–2 and 1–1 with Germany, before qualifying for the second round with a 3–1 victory over Bolivia. Spain continued through the second round with a 3–0 victory over Switzerland, but their tournament ended with a controversial 2–1 defeat to Italy in the quarter-finals.
Spain qualified for Euro 96 from a group consisting of Denmark, Belgium, Cyprus, Republic of Macedonia, and Armenia. In the final tournament Spain faced group matches against Bulgaria, France and Romania. With 1–1 draws against the first two opponents, and a 2–1 win over Romania, Spain confirmed their place in the quarter-finals, with a match with hosts England, which finished goalless and Spain eventually fell 4–2 in the shootout.
In his second World Cup as Spain's coach, Clemente led his team undefeated through their qualifying group in which Yugoslavia and Czech Republic were the other contenders. Spain qualified with fourteen other European sides in the first ever thirty-two team World Cup, but were eliminated in the first round with four points after losing to Nigeria, drawing with Paraguay, and winning just one game, against Bulgaria.
Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002
After a 3–2 opening defeat to Cyprus in Euro 2000 qualifying, Clemente was fired and José Antonio Camacho was appointed as coach. Spain won the rest of their games to qualify for the final tournament, where they were drawn into Group C. A 1–0 defeat to Norway was followed by victories over Slovenia (2–1) and Yugoslavia (4–3), with Spain thus setting up a quarterfinal against 1998 World Cup champions, France, which was won 2–1 by France.
The qualifying tournament for the 2002 World Cup went as expected for Spain as Spain topped a group consisting of Austria, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. In the final tournament Spain won its three matches in group B, against Slovenia, Paraguay (both by 3–1), and South Africa (3–2). Spain beat Republic of Ireland on penalties in the second round, and faced co-hosts Korea Republic in the quarterfinals. In what is considered a highly controversial match, Spain eventually lost in a penalty shootout after having two goals called back for alleged infractions during regular and extra time.[9]
Euro 2004
At Euro 2004 in Portugal, Spain was drawn into group A with hosts Portugal, Russia and Greece, behind whom they had finished second in qualifying. Spain defeated Russia 1–0 and drew 1–1 with Greece, but failed to get the draw they needed against Portugal to proceed to the knock out stages. Iñaki Sáez was sacked weeks later and replaced by Luis Aragonés.
2006 World Cup, Golden Generation 2007-
UEFA Euro 2008 Final starting lineup on June 29, 2008, in Vienna (Ernst Happel Stadion). |
Spain qualified for the 2006 World Cup only after a play-off against Slovakia, as they had finished behind Serbia and Montenegro in Group 7, which also included Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Lithuania, and San Marino. In Group H of the German hosted finals, Spain won all their matches, and beat Ukraine 4–0, Tunisia 3–1 and Saudi Arabia 1–0. However Spain fell 3–1 in the second round to France, with only the consolation of a share, with Brazil, of the 2006 FIFA Fair Play Award.
After being eliminated from the competition, Luis Aragonés came to the decision that the team was not physical or tough enough to be able to out-muscle opponents, they therefore opted to start concentrating on monopolising the ball and thus started to employ the tiki-taka – a style characterised by short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession. Raphael Honigstein describes it as "a significant upgrade of the Dutch "total football", a system that relied on players changing positions." [10]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Spain_Euro_08_celebration_3.jpg/200px-Spain_Euro_08_celebration_3.jpg)
Spain qualified for Euro 2008 at the top of Qualifying Group F with 28 points out of a possible 36, and were seeded 12th for the finals. They won all their games in Group D: 4–1 against Russia, and 2–1 against both Sweden and defending champions Greece.
Reigning World Cup holders Italy were the opponents in the quarter final match, and held Spain to a finished 0–0 draw resulting in a penalty shoot-out which Spain won 4–2. Spain met Russia again in the semi-final, again beating them, this time by 3-0.[11]
In the final, played in Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Spain defeated Germany 1–0, with a goal scored by Fernando Torres in the 33rd minute.[12] This was Spain's first major title since the 1964 European Championship. Spain were the top scoring team, with 12 goals, and David Villa finished as the top scorer with four goals; Xavi was awarded the player of the tournament, and nine Spanish players were picked for the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament.[13]
Confederations Cup debut and 2010 World Cup qualification
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Spanien_-_Nationalmannschaft_20091118.jpg/220px-Spanien_-_Nationalmannschaft_20091118.jpg)
Luis Aragonés left the manager's role after the Euro 2008 success, and was replaced by Vicente del Bosque.[14]
2008 saw David Villa score 16 goals in 15 games, breaking the Spanish record of 10 goals in one year held by Raúl since 1999.[15] On 11 February 2009, David Villa broke another Spanish record as his 36th-minute goal against England saw him become the first Spanish player to score in six consecutive games.[16] By the start of the tournament, Del Bosque's had ten consecutive wins, making him the first international manager to do so from his debut, breaking Joao Saldanha's record, held since 1969, of nine consecutive wins with Brazil.
Spain won all three of its matches at the group stage, the 5–0 win over New Zealand including a Fernando Torres hat-trick that is the earliest and fastest hat-trick in the tournament's history. With further wins over Iraq (1–0) and South Africa (2–0) they earned not only qualification for the semifinals, but also obtained the world record for 15 consecutive wins and tied the record of 35 consecutive unbeaten games (with Brazil).
On 24 June 2009, Spain's undefeated record ended when the United States beat Spain 2–0 in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup semi-finals which sent Spain to the third place match. This was Spain's first defeat since 2006. Spain defeated hosts South Africa 3–2 after extra time in the 3rd-place playoff.[17]
On 9 September 2009, Spain secured its place at the 2010 World Cup finals after beating Estonia 3–0 in Mérida.[18] Spain went on to record a perfect World Cup qualifying record with 10 wins out of 10 in Group 5, finishing with a 5–2 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on 14 October 2009.[19] The Spanish team entered the 2010 World Cup ranked number 2 on the FIFA rankings and as clear favorites to win the tournament.
2010 FIFA World Cup winners
2010 FIFA World Cup Final starting lineup on July 11, 2010, in Johannesburg (Soccer City). |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e4/World_Cup_celebration_-_2.jpg/220px-World_Cup_celebration_-_2.jpg)
See Also: 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup Group H and 2010 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2010 World Cup draw, which took place on 4 December 2009, placed Spain in Group H, alongside Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile. Spain lost its first group stage match against Switzerland, 0–1. In their second match they defeated Honduras by 2 goals from David Villa. Their next match against Chile on 25 June was won 2–1. They advanced to the knock-out stage to defeat Portugal 1–0, reaching the quarter-finals, in which they defeated Paraguay 1-0, with another goal by David Villa, reaching the last four for the first time since 1950. They then advanced to the final for the first time ever by defeating Germany 1-0 via a headed goal from Carles Puyol.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Spain_and_Portugal_match_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup_2010-06-29_5.jpg/220px-Spain_and_Portugal_match_at_the_FIFA_World_Cup_2010-06-29_5.jpg)
In the final four minutes of extra time during the World Cup final against the Netherlands, Andrés Iniesta scored a single goal from a pass given by Cesc Fàbregas, winning the World Cup for Spain for the first time in their history. In this physical match, Spain received 5 yellow cards, while Holland received 9, as well as 1 red card, the highest total of cards for a World Cup final in history. Spain won the World Cup by only scoring 8 goals and conceding 2, which is the lowest by any World Cup winner in both cases. Also, they are the only team not to have conceded a goal in the last four games of the tournament. Spain are the only team that has won the World Cup title after losing its opening game. Spain are only the second team to win a World Cup outside their own continent, following Brazil's wins in Sweden and Korea-Japan, which also makes Spain the only European team to win the World Cup outside of Europe. It is also the only European champion to not have at least one championship won in home soil (Italy, West Germany, England and France have all won at least one or their sole final on home soil).
The 2010 FIFA World Cup squad won the FIFA fair play award while some of its players also won awards.[20] Goalkeeper Iker Casillas won the golden glove for only conceding two goals during the tournament. David Villa won the bronze ball and silver boot, tied for top scorer of the tournament with a total of 5 goals and 1 assist.
Road to Euro 2012 glory: Champions of Europe again
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Spain_national_football_team_Euro_2012_trophy_03.jpg/300px-Spain_national_football_team_Euro_2012_trophy_03.jpg)
Like the previous qualification tournament, Spain qualified top of Group I in qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 with a perfect 100% record. Spain defeated Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania, and Liechtenstein to advance to the main tournament, where they became the first team to retain the European championship. Spain were drawn in Group C in the group stage, alongside Italy, Croatia, and Republic of Ireland. Spain opened their group stage match against Italy on 10 June 2012. Italy took the lead in the second half of the match, through substitute and Italian striker Antonio Di Natale in the 61st minute, who had come on to replace another striker, Mario Balotelli.[21] Three minutes later, Spain found an equalizer, in which midfielder David Silva assisted another midfielder, Cesc Fábregas, who in turn slotted the ball past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.[21] Spain's next match was on 14 June, against Republic of Ireland. Spain striker Fernando Torres opened the goalscoring, early in the fourth minute, retaining the ball, after Republic of Ireland defender Richard Dunne's unsuccessful tackle, before scoring the goal from 10 yards, past chanceless goalkeeper Shay Given.[22] It did not take until the second half, in the 49th minute, where David Silva extended the lead for Spain, nutmegging three defenders in the process, Stephen Ward, Sean St Ledger, and Dunne, after Given blocked Iniesta's shot.[22] With 20 minutes of the match remaining, Torres scored his second goal, after a successful assist from Silva, as he chipped the ball past Given.[22] The final goal was scored by Fábregas, in which he received the ball after a Silva corner, and scored from a difficult angle.[22] Their third and final group stage match against Croatia on 18 June, proved to be more difficult than expected, as Croatia had several goalscoring chances, notably from Croatian players Ivan Strinić and Ivan Perišić, which Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas had no problems dealing with.[23] The match looked like it was heading for a draw, until the 88th minute, in which substitute Jesús Navas struck the winning goal, after a beautiful chip from Cesc Fabregas allowed Iniesta a simple assist.[23]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Iker_Casillas_Euro_2012_final_trophy.jpg/225px-Iker_Casillas_Euro_2012_final_trophy.jpg)
In the quarter-finals, on 23 June 2012, Spain took on France. Spain opened the goalscoring, after defender Jordi Alba's assist, which midfielder Xabi Alonso scored with a header past France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.[24] Spain completed their win, late in the second half, with Alonso stepping up to score the penalty kick, after France defender Anthony Réveillère brought down Spain striker Pedro inside the penalty area.[24] Spain faced Portugal on 27 June in the semi-finals, who had previously beaten Czech Republic in the quarter-finals, courtesy of an late Cristiano Ronaldo goal.[25] The decisive match proved to be more difficult than expected, with Portugal having numerous goalscoring chances.[26] However, Spain managed to hold on, which required the match to go into extra time.[26] Spain showed signs of improvement, but nevertheless, failed to score over both halves.[26] A penalty shoot-out was then ensued.[26] Alonso, who had previously taken an penalty kick against France, had his spot kick saved by Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patrício.[26] Portugal looked to take the advantage, with midfielder João Moutinho as the next penalty taker, however, Casillas produced a tremendous diving save to prevent Portugal from taking the lead.[26] Iniesta stepped up to take the second penalty, which was successfully taken.[26] Defender Pepe's effort proved to be successful as well, as he struck the ball just past Casillas.[26] Defender Gerard Piqué showed no sign of nerves as he struck the ball past Rui Patrício, identically to Pepe's spot kick.[26] Defender Bruno Alves stepped up to take the third penalty for Portugal, however, midfielder Nani encouraged Alves to let him take the penalty, which Nani struck high in the left corner of the goal and sending Casillas to the wrong side of the goal.[26] The fourth penalty was taken by defender Sergio Ramos, who produced a Panenka-like penalty, chipping the ball past Rui Patrício.[26] The turn finally arrived to Alves, who missed the spot kick and hit the right post.[26] Fábregas scored Spain's fifth goal, as the ball went in via the left post.[26] Spain emerged victorious, and were in a UEFA European Football Championship final for the fourth time, since 1964, 1984 and 2008.[26] In the final match at the . Spain won the tournament by a score of 4–0 over Italy.[27] Spain quickly took control in the first half, with goals in the 14th minute from a header by David Silva, and in the 41st minute from Jordi Alba. In the second half, Italy used the last of their three substitutions, putting Antonio Di Natale and Thiago Motta into the game. Thiago Motta injured his hamstring shortly after entering the match, and had to leave the pitch, forcing Italy to play with ten men for the remainder of the match.[27] Spain were able to increase their lead to 4–0 in the second half, with goals from Fernando Torres in the 84th minute, and from Juan Mata in the 88th minute, helping them to win their second straight European Championship, and their third straight major tournament title (Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup).[27] Gerard Piqué for Spain and Andrea Barzagli for Italy both received yellow cards in the match.[27]
Given the final victory Spain broke many barriers and beat several records:
- Spain became the first team to win two consecutive titles.
- Spain became the first team to make the final as the reigning European champion since Germany did in 1976.
- Spain won final by the greatest goal margin ever (4-0), one goal better than West Germany's victory over the Soviet Union in 1972 (3-0).
- Spain became along Germany the most successful teams in the European Championships history, with three titles each.
- Spain is the first national team to have won the World Cup and their continental championship three times in a row. The only non-European competitors, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, have never won the Copa América as world champions.
- Spain is the country with the best goal difference in a championship tournament, 12-1. This is true partly because the Quarterfinals was added to Euro Cup in 1996, and therefore there were fewer matches. France has the second best goal difference of 12-3 in 1984, but with a game in hand.
- In addition, Vicente del Bosque became the second manager, after Germany manager Helmut Schön, to lead a national side to a UEFA European Football Championship and a FIFA World Cup trophy,[28] and the first to have also won the UEFA Champions League.[29]
Spain also got a complete change in reputation, when "La Roja" by increasing numbers was seen as the best team, even as far as being called the best team in the history of football. Spain also got other good references. The French sports daily L'Equipe rewrote Gary Linekers famous quote and wrote "Football is a sport where you play eleven against eleven, and eventually in the end Spain wins". The Guardian wrote, "This will forever be recalled as Spain's golden era, unrivaled by any team.".
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup
On 30 July 2011 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup preliminary draw, Spain were placed in Group I. They commence their qualifying campaign in late 2012 in a group that features France, Belarus, Georgia and Finland[30] They started their World Cup campaign with a hard fought away victory over Georgia in which Roberto Soldado scored in the 85th minute after the Georgians defended with 11 players in all 90 minutes of the game.
Style of play
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)[31]
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.[32]
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,"[33] a "short passing style in which the ball is worked carefully through various channels,"[34] and a "nonsensical phrase that has come to mean short passing, patience and possession above all else."[35] The style involves roaming movement and positional interchange amongst midfielders, moving the ball in intricate patterns,[36] and sharp, one or two-touch passing.[31] 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.[37] Commentators have contrasted tiki-taka with "route one physicality"[33] and with the higher-tempo passing of Arsène Wenger's 2007–08 Arsenal side, which employed Cesc Fàbregas as the only channel between defence and attack.[34] Tiki-taka is associated with flair, creativity, and touch,[38] but can also be taken to a "slow, directionless extreme" that sacrifices effectiveness for aesthetics.[35]
Notable successes
Tiki-taka has been used successfully by the Spanish national team to win UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, and by FC Barcelona, which won six trophies in 2008-09 (including a Continental Treble, followed by the UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup), and allowed them to win 2008-09 UEFA Champions League and 2010-11 UEFA Champions League.
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.[35] 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.[39]
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."[37]
Criticism
In 2012 before the final match against Italy, Spain had been accused of using sterile techniques, e.g. having no strikers and only midfielders. lack of emphasis on the offensive and the endless passing had been called beautiful but boring. The argument that Spain played boring, long passing football was already made in the World Cup two years earlier. In the final though, Spain played in a slightly different way, dominating and defeating the Italians 4-0 and many journalists pointed out that the criticism was silenced.
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 a sky blue shirt with a stripe in the chest area and navy trim accompanied by white shorts with navy trim. 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 designed by a team led by Daniel Newlan at Adidas, is a lighter red than usual along with light blue shorts and red socks, similar to the older 2006 kit.[40] A third kit is sometimes used and is usually blue 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 FIFA 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.
Players
Current squad
The following 23 players were called up for the next International friendly and 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification matches:
Match Date: September 7 and 11
Opposition: Georgia &
Saudi Arabia .
Caps and goals are correct as of September 11, 2012.
# | Pos. | Player | Date of Birth (Age) | Caps | Goals | Club | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Iker Casillas (captain) | 20 May 1981 | 140 | 0 | ![]() | ||
12 | GK | Víctor Valdés | 14 January 1982 | 9 | 0 | ![]() | ||
23 | GK | Pepe Reina | 31 August 1982 | 26 | 0 | ![]() | ||
2 | DF | Raúl Albiol | 4 September 1985 | 36 | 0 | ![]() | ||
3 | DF | Gerard Piqué | 2 February 1987 | 48 | 4 | ![]() | ||
4 | DF | Nacho Monreal | 26 February 1986 | 9 | 0 | ![]() | ||
5 | DF | Juanfran | 9 January 1985 | 3 | 0 | ![]() | ||
15 | DF | Sergio Ramos | 30 March 1986 | 95 | 6 | ![]() | ||
17 | DF | Álvaro Arbeloa | 17 January 1983 | 43 | 0 | ![]() | ||
18 | DF | Jordi Alba | 21 March 1989 | 12 | 1 | ![]() | ||
6 | MF | Andrés Iniesta | 11 May 1984 | 74 | 10 | ![]() | ||
8 | MF | Xavi | 25 January 1980 | 117 | 12 | ![]() | ||
10 | MF | Cesc Fàbregas | 4 May 1987 | 72 | 11 | ![]() | ||
13 | MF | Beñat | 19 February 1987 | 3 | 0 | ![]() | ||
14 | MF | Xabi Alonso | 25 November 1981 | 104 | 15 | ![]() | ||
16 | MF | Sergio Busquets | 16 July 1988 | 48 | 0 | ![]() | ||
20 | MF | Santi Cazorla | 13 December 1984 | 48 | 8 | ![]() | ||
21 | MF | David Silva | 8 January 1986 | 67 | 18 | ![]() | ||
22 | MF | Jesús Navas | 21 November 1985 | 21 | 2 | ![]() | ||
7 | FW | David Villa | 3 December 1981 | 83 | 52 | ![]() | ||
9 | FW | Fernando Torres | 20 March 1984 | 100 | 31 | ![]() | ||
11 | FW | Pedro | 28 July 1987 | 20 | 4 | ![]() | ||
19 | FW | Roberto Soldado | 27 May 1985 | 6 | 4 | ![]() |
Recent callups
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 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | David de Gea | 7 November 1990 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
DF | Álvaro Domínguez | 15 May 1989 | 2 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
DF | Carles Puyol | 13 April 1978 | 99 | 3 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
DF | Andoni Iraola | 22 June 1982 | 7 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
MF | Javi Martínez | 2 September 1988 | 8 | 0 | ![]() |
UEFA Euro 2012 | ||
MF | Juan Mata | 28 April 1988 | 19 | 6 | ![]() |
UEFA Euro 2012 | ||
MF | Bruno Soriano | 12 June 1984 | 4 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
MF | Javi García | 8 February 1987 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
MF | Isco | 21 April 1992 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
MF | Thiago Alcântara | 11 April 1991 | 3 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
FW | Álvaro Negredo | 20 August 1985 (aged 26) | 12 | 6 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
FW | Fernando Llorente | 26 February 1985 | 21 | 7 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
FW | Adrián | 8 January 1988 | 2 | 1 | ![]() |
v. ![]() | ||
FW | Iker Muniain | 19 December 1992 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
v. ![]() |
Previous squads
Competitive record
FIFA World Cup Record
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
FIFA World Cup record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D * | L | GF | GA |
![]() |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
![]() |
Quarter-Final | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
![]() |
Withdrew | |||||||
![]() |
Fourth Place | 4th | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 12 |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() |
Group Stage | 12th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
![]() |
Group Stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() |
Group Stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
![]() |
Round 2 | 12th | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
![]() |
Quarter-Final | 8th | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 |
![]() |
Round of 16 | 14th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
![]() |
Quarter-Final | 6th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
![]() |
Group Stage | 17th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
![]() ![]() |
Quarter-Final | 5th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
![]() |
Round of 16 | 9th | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
![]() |
Champions | 1st | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
Total | 1 Title | 13/19 | 56 | 28 | 12 | 16 | 88 | 59 |
FIFA World Cup Matches | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Score | Result |
1934 | Round 1 | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Quarter-finals R | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1950 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Final Round | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Final Round | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
Final Round | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1962 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1966 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1978 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
1982 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
Round 2 | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
Round 2 | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
1986 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Round of 16 | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
1990 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Round of 16 | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1994 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Round of 16 | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1998 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
2002 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Round of 16 | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
2006 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Round of 16 | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
2010 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Loss |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Round of 16 | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Semi-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Final | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
- *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- **Gold background colour indicates that the tournament was won.
- ***Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
UEFA European Championship
Champions Runners-up Semi-final
UEFA European Championship Record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
![]() |
Withdrew | |||||||
![]() |
Champions | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() |
Group Stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
![]() |
Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
![]() |
Group Stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() |
Quarter Final | 6th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
![]() ![]() |
Quarter Final | 5th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
![]() |
Group Stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
![]() ![]() |
Champions | 1st | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
![]() ![]() |
Champions | 1st | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
Total | 3 Titles | 9/14 | 36 | 17 | 11 | 8 | 50 | 32 |
UEFA Euro Matches | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Score | Result |
1964 | Semi-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
Final | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
1980 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1984 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Semi-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Final | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1988 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
1996 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
2000 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
2004 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Lost | |
2008 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Semi-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
Finals | ![]() ![]() |
Won | |
2012 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Draw |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Quarter-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Semi-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Draw | |
Final | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
2016 |
Summer Olympics
Gold Silver Bronze
Olympic Games Record | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
![]() |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() |
Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
![]() |
Round 1 | 10th | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
![]() |
Quarter-Final | 6th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 |
![]() |
Withdrew | |||||||
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() |
Quarter-Final | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() |
Round 1 | 13th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
![]() |
Round 1 | 12th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() |
Champions | 1st | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
![]() |
Quarter-Final | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
![]() |
Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
![]() | ||||||||
![]() |
Round 1 | 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Total | 10/23 | 1 Gold Medal | 37 | 19 | 7 | 11 | 56 | 39 |
- Since 1968 Spain has been represented by its Under-23/21 squad, nonetheless their Olympic records are still included here.
FIFA Confederations Cup
Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place
FIFA Confederations Cup Record | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
![]() | |||||||||
![]() | |||||||||
![]() | |||||||||
![]() ![]() | |||||||||
![]() |
Did Not Enter [41] | ||||||||
![]() |
Did Not Qualify | ||||||||
![]() |
Third Place | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 | |
![]() |
TBD | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
Total | Third Place | 2/9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 4 |
FIFA Confederations Cup Matches | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Score | Result |
2009 | Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Group Stage | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
Semi-finals | ![]() ![]() |
Loss | |
Third Place | ![]() ![]() |
Win | |
2013 | Group Stage | ![]() |
TBD |
Group Stage | ![]() |
TBD | |
Group Stage | ![]() |
TBD |
Schedule
Head to head
All time results
Spain 2012-2013 Record
Wins | Losses | Draws | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 3 |
* Spain score always listed first
- 1.^ Spain advance to the finals after beating Portugal on penalties 4 - 2
Honours
- This is a list of honours for the senior Spanish national team
- Third place (1): 2009
Other Awards
- Winners (1): 2010
- Winners (1): 2011
- 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
- Winners (1): 2010
Records
Worldwide
- Most consecutive games undefeated
- 35 (2007–2009) (shared with
Brazil between 1993–1996)
- Most consecutive wins achieved by an international coach from debut
- 13 – Vicente del Bosque
- Most shootouts in one World Cup by one team
- 2 at the 2002 FIFA World Cup (shared with
Argentina at the 1990 FIFA World Cup)
- Highest number of points in World Cup qualification
- 30 out of 30 points (2008–2009)
Nationwide
- Most international caps
- 140 – Iker Casillas
- Most international goals
- 52 - David Villa
- Most goals scored in one season
- 13 – David Villa (2008–2009)
- Most consecutive games ended with at least one goal
- 6 – David Villa
- Top scorer in World Cup finals
- 8 – David Villa
- Most goals scored in one World Cup
- 5 – Emilio Butragueño (1986) & David Villa (2010)
- Most goals scored in consecutive matches at World Cup
- 4 – David Villa (2010)
- Top scorer in European Championship finals
- 5 – Fernando Torres
- Most goals scored in one European Championship
- 4 – David Villa (2008)
35-match undefeated streak (2007–2009)
- Spain (7 Feb 2007 - 24 Jun 2009) shares with Brazil (16 Dec 1993 - 21 Jan 1996) the unbeaten record of 35 games. Brazil's loss at the 1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup was by the under-23 (Olympic) team, but is officially counted as a loss of the national team. Otherwise the Brazil national team wouldn't lose until 30 May 1997 (2:4 vs Norway), thus extending it to 45 games.
- Both Brazil and Spain lost their undefeated streak to members of the CONCACAF region. Brazil lost theirs to Mexico, and Spain lost theirs to the United States.
Top goalscorers
As of September 11, 2012, the ten highest scorers for Spain are:
# | Player | Career | Goals | Caps | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Scott Williams | 100 | 83 | 0.626 | |
2 | Raúl González | 1996–2006 | 44 | 102 | 0.431 |
3 | Fernando Torres | 2003– | 31 | 100 | 0.313 |
4 | Fernando Hierro | 1989–2002 | 29 | 89 | 0.326 |
5 | Fernando Morientes | 1998–2007 | 27 | 47 | 0.574 |
6 | Emilio Butragueño | 1984–1992 | 26 | 69 | 0.377 |
7 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | 1957–1961 | 23 | 31 | 0.742 |
8 | Julio Salinas | 1986–1996 | 22 | 56 | 0.411 |
9 | Míchel | 1985–1992 | 21 | 66 | 0.318 |
10 | Telmo Zarra | 1945–1951 | 20 | 20 | 1.000 |
- Bold denotes players still playing international football.
Most capped Spain players
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Iker_Casillas_20minutos.jpg/200px-Iker_Casillas_20minutos.jpg)
As of September 11, 2012 the ten players with the most caps for Spain are:
# | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Iker Casillas | 2000– | 140 | 0 |
2 | Andoni Zubizarreta | 1985–1998 | 126 | 0 |
3 | Xavi Hernández | 2000– | 117 | 12 |
4 | Xabi Alonso | 2003– | 104 | 15 |
5 | Raúl González | 1996–2006 | 102 | 44 |
6 | Fernando Torres | 2003– | 100 | 31 |
7 | Carles Puyol | 2000– | 99 | 3 |
8 | Sergio Ramos | 2005– | 95 | 6 |
9 | Fernando Hierro | 1989–2002 | 89 | 29 |
10 | David Villa | 2005– | 83 | 52 |
- Bold denotes players still playing international football.
Biggest wins
Scores from 6-0 to up
Heaviest defeats
Scores from 5-0 and up
Worst Results by Spain | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Match | Round | Venue | Result | Difference | |
1 | June 4, 1928 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
1 – 7 | –6 |
December 9, 1931 | ![]() ![]() |
Friendly | ![]() | |||
2 | July 13, 1950 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
1 – 6 | −5 |
FIFA World Ranking History
YR|M | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 13º (50) | 14º (52) | 7º (55) | 7º (57) | 5º (57) |
1994 | -- | 6º (56) | 6º (55) | 7º (55) | 9º (54) | 5º (55) | 6º (59) | -- | 6º (59) | 6º (59) | 5º (60) | 2º (61) |
1995 | -- | 2º (61) | -- | 3º (61) | 3º (61) | 3º (60) | 3º (58) | 3º (58) | 6º (59) | 2º (60) | 3º (61) | 4º (59) |
1996 | 4º (59) | 4º (60) | -- | 6º (58) | 6º (57) | -- | 8º (59) | 7º (58) | 10º (57) | 10º (57) | 8º (59) | 8º (60) |
1997 | -- | 7º (60) | -- | 4º (61) | 5º (61) | 3º (62) | 2º (63) | 2º (63) | 6º (61) | 2º (65) | 3º (62) | 11º (59) |
1998 | -- | 23º (55) | 25º (55) | 9º (57) | 15º (56) | -- | 14º (60) | 14º (59) | 14º (58) | 16º (58) | 15º (58) | 15º (58) |
1999 | 9º (703) | 9º (706) | 9º (704) | 8º (720) | 8º (724) | 6º (732) | 8º (714) | 7º (713) | 4º (757) | 4º (767) | 4º (758) | 4º (753) |
2000 | 4º (753) | 4º (751) | 4º (747) | 4º (743) | 4º (736) | 4º (728) | 4º (744) | 5º (743) | 5º (740) | 5º (745) | 6º (742) | 7º (735) |
2001 | 7º (734) | 7º (732) | 7º (727) | 7º (725) | 6º (724) | 6º (733) | 6º (715) | 8º (716) | 6º (730) | 6º (730) | 7º (731) | 7º (730) |
2002 | 7º (730) | 7º (727) | 7º (728) | 8º (715) | 8º (713) | -- | 4º (774) | 3º (775) | 3º (774) | 3º (779) | 3º (779) | 3º (779) |
2003 | 3º (780) | 3º (783) | 2º (780) | 2º (785) | 2º (784) | 3º (762) | 3º (755) | 3º (748) | 3º (767) | 3º (777) | 3º (785) | 3º (798) |
2004 | 3º (798) | 3º (795) | 3º (791) | 3º (790) | 3º (784) | 3º (785) | 3º (792) | 3º (790) | 3º (788) | 4º (774) | 4º (755) | 5º (765) |
2005 | 5º (764) | 5º (764) | 5º (759) | 7º (755) | 8º (752) | 9º (747) | 8º (744) | 8º (739) | 8º (750) | 8º (764) | 6º (771) | 5º (768) |
2006 | 5º (768) | 6º (765) | 6º (763) | 5º (759) | 5º (756) | -- | 7º (1.309) | 7º (1.309) | 10º (1.255) | 10º (1.198) | 12º (1.154) | 12º (1.154) |
2007 | 12º (1.154) | 10º (1.161) | 10º (1.161) | 9º (1.237) | 9º (1.238) | 7º (1.273) | 9º (1.144) | 8º (1.165) | 7º (1.178) | 6º (1.226) | 4º (1.349) | 4º (1.349) |
2008 | 4º (1.349) | 4º (1.352) | 4º (1.355) | 4º (1.319) | 4º (1.323) | 4º (1.353) | 1º (1.557) | 1º (1.557) | 1º (1.565) | 1º (1.643) | 1º (1.657) | 1º (1.663) |
2009 | 1º (1.663) | 1º (1.693) | 1º (1.666) | 1º (1.729) | 1º (1.729) | 1º (1.761) | 2º (1.590) | 2º (1.590) | 2º (1.588) | 2º (1.629) | 1º (1.622) | 1º (1.627) |
2010 | 1º (1.627) | 1º (1.642) | 1º (1.602) | 2º (1.565) | 2º (1.565) | -- | 1º (1.883) | 1º (1.883) | 1º (1.824) | 1º (1.881) | 1º (1.920) | 1º (1.887) |
2011 | 1º (1.887) | 1º (1.887) | 1º (1.880) | 1º (1.857) | 1º (1.857) | 1º (1.871) | 1º (1.855) | 2º (1.563) | 1º (1.605) | 1º (1.624) | 1º (1.564) | 1º (1.564) |
2012 | 1º (1.564) | 1º (1.566) | 1º (1.561) | 1º (1.442) | 1º (1.442) | 1º (1.456) | 1º (1.691) | 1º (1.605) | 1º (1.617) | -- | -- | -- |
█ | FIFA World Ranking #1 |
Home stadium
Spain does not have a national stadium as such, though major qualifying matches are usually played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. Other large grounds used include the Estadio Vicente Calderón, 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 Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Seville.
Other friendly matches, as well as qualifying fixtures against less glamorous opponents are played in provincial stadia. Ground recently used include the Riazor in La Coruña, the Estadio Nueva Condomina in Murcia, the Estadio Carlos Belmonte in Albacete and the Estadio Romano in Mérida. Occasionally, matches are played off mainland Spain; their final UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match against Northern Ireland was played at the Estadio Gran Canaria in Las Palmas, on the Canary Islands.
In their final Euro 2012 qualifier against Scotland, Alicante staged their first Spain International for 20 years.
Spain's historical kits
Collections of kits used by La Furia Roja
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1920-21 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1921-22 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1922-24 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1924-31 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1931-36 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1936-38 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1938-45 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1945-47 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1947-59 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1959-81 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1981-83 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1984-86 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1986-89 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1990-91 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1994-95 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1996-97 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 1998-99 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2000-02 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2002-04 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2004-06 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2006-08 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2008-09 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2009-10 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2010-11 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2011-12 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 2012-Current |
Managers
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Songs for competitions
Some Spanish groups or singers have made songs to encourage the national football team for a competition:
Series | Anthem / Song | Performer(s) | Writer(s) / Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1998 FIFA World Cup | "Quiero Estar Contigo" | Carlos Domenech & Spanish team | Rosana Arbelo |
UEFA Euro 2000 | "Cien mil voces" | Spanish team | Warner Music |
2002 FIFA World Cup | "Vivimos La Selección" | Operación Triunfo | Kike Santander |
UEFA Euro 2004 | "Sírvame una Copita" | Café Quijano | Warner Music |
2006 FIFA World Cup | "Listos para Ganar" | Indras | Vale Music |
UEFA Euro 2008 | "Pasar de cuartos" | Pignoise | Warner Music |
2010 FIFA World Cup | "Looking For Paradise" | Alejandro Sanz | Alejandro Sanz ft. Alicia Keys |
UEFA Euro 2012 | "No hay 2 sin 3" | Cali & El Dandee ft. David Bisbal | Universal Music |
See also
- Spain national under-23 football team
- Spain national under-21 football team
- Spain national under-20 football team
- Spain national under-19 football team
- Spain national under-18 football team
- Spain national under-17 football team
- Spain national under-16 football team
- Spain national under-15 football team
- Spain national youth football team
- Tiki-taka
- International Treble
- International Double
- Manolo el del bombo
References
- ^ BBC (17 June 2010). ""La Roja" from Miguel, Spain". Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ^ "La Roja lean to the left". FIFA. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
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(help) - ^ a b c Since 1992, squads for Football at the Summer Olympics have been restricted to three players over the age of 23. The achievements of such teams are not usually included in the statistics of the international team.
- ^ "La red social de aficionados de la Selección Española". Juegalaroja.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "Otro junio de ilusión: todos con la Roja [[:Template:Es icon]]". Notas de fútbol. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
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(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "Euro 2012: Are Spain the best team of all time?". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ Klinsmann, Jurgen. "Klinsmann: Spain win over Italy would make them team of century". BBC. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ Carlisle, Jeff. "Why this Spain side is all-time best". ESPN. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ Hayward, Paul (23 June 2002). "Korean miracle spoilt by refereeing farce". Telegraph. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "Why Spain were anything but boring". CBC.ca. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
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(help) - ^ "Euro 2008 Final Preview: Germany vs Spain". 29 June 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
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(help) - ^ "Germany 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. London. 29 June 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2009.
- ^ Spanish players named in the team of the tournament were: goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas, defenders Carles Puyol, Carlos Marchena, midfielders Xavi, Cesc Fàbregas, Andrés Iniesta, Marcos Senna and strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres.
- ^ "Spain appoint Del Bosque". Sky Sports. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
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(help) - ^ "Villa, mejor goleador de la selección en un año natural" (in Spanish). Marca.com. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
- ^ "Spain Hotshot David Villa Delighted With Goal Against England". Goal.com. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
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(help) - ^ "Spain Finish Third In Confederations Cup After Thrilling Finale Against South Africa". Goal.com. 28 June 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
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(help) - ^ "South Africa place secured". ESPN. 9 September 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
- ^ "Perfect record intact". ESPN. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2009.
- ^ "Forlan and Muller strike gold". FIFA. 11 July 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
- ^ a b Smith, Ben (10 June 2012). "Euro 2012: Spain 1–1 Italy". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d Chase, Graham (14 June 2012). "Spain 4–0 Republic of Ireland". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ a b Smith, Ben (18 June 2012). "Croatia 0–1 Spain". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ a b Sanghera, Mandeep (23 June 2012). "Spain 2–0 France". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ Rostance, Tom (21 June 2012). "Czech Republic 1–0 Portugal". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Smith, Ben (27 June 2012). "Portugal 0–0 Spain". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Spain claim historic win". ESPN Soccernet. ESPN. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- ^ Atkin, John (1 July 2012). "Double-winning Del Bosque matches Schön feat". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
- ^ Atkin, John (2 July 2012). "Del Bosque reflects on 'historic win' for Spain". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ "The Preliminary Draw results in full". FIFA. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Davies, Jed C. (16 July 2012). "Systems Football: The Basics – Tiki-Taka / Totaal-Voetball". EPLindex. London. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ^ a b Marcotti, Gabriele (14 April 2008). "New coaching breed gives heart to Spain". The Times. London. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
- ^ a b Hynter, David (10 June 2008). "Fábregas takes positive view, from the bench". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ a b c Lowe, Sid (2 July 2008). "The definitive story of how Aragonés led Spain to Euro 2008 glory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ Pearce, Jonathan (29 June 2008). "If Spain can reign it will be so good for the old game". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ a b Honigstein, Raphael (8 July 2010). "Why Spain were anything but boring". CBC.ca. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ Clegg, Jonathan; Espinoza, Javier (31 March 2010). "Fantasy football comes alive". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ Lowe, Sid (9 July 2010). "Spain's "Tiki-taka" style dominates". SI.com. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
- ^ Royal Spanish Football Federation Home Jersey[dead link]
- ^ As 2nd in the FIFA World Rankings at the time
Squads
Titles
External links
Media related to Spain national football team at Wikimedia Commons
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