Spain national football team
Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
Nickname(s) | La Selección (The Selection) La Furia Roja (The Red Fury) La Roja (The Red One) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Real Federación Española de Fútbol | ||
Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
Head coach | ![]() | ||
Captain | Iker Casillas | ||
Most caps | Andoni Zubizarreta (126) | ||
Top scorer | Raúl González (44) | ||
FIFA code | ESP | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 4 | ||
Highest | 2 (December 1994) | ||
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 | 12 (first in 1934) | ||
Best result | Fourth place, 1950 | ||
European Championship | |||
Appearances | 8 (first in 1964,2008,) | ||
Best result | Winners, 1964, 2008 |
Olympic medal record | ||
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Men’s Football | ||
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1920 Antwerp | Team |
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1992 Barcelona | Team |
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2000 Sydney | Team |
The Spain National Football Team, commonly referred to as La Selección, is the national football team of Spain and is controlled by the Real Federación Española de Fútbol.
Spain has a reputation for underachievement in the FIFA World Cup, with their best finish being fourth place in 1950 despite often being among the pre-tournament favourites. Their only senior level tournament victory, in fact, is the 1964 European Championship, which they hosted. They also won the gold medal when they hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and in the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria. Their current FIFA ranking is 4th. Spain won the Euro 2008, defeating Germany 1-0.
History
Early Years
Spain made their international football debut in 1920 at the Olympic Games in Antwerp and won the silver medal. They played their first home international in 1921, beating Belgium 2-0 in Bilbao. They also became the first non-British side to beat England when they won 4-3 in a friendly in Madrid in 1929. Spain however did not enter the 1930 World Cup. Four years later, Spain qualified for the second World Cup in Italy in 1934 and progressed to the quarterfinals where the lost to Italy 1-0 in a replay after a 1-1 draw. The Spanish Civil War and World War II did not see Spain play a competitive match until the 1950 World Cup.
They reached the final four-team group, consisting of the four group winners. The other winners were Brazil, Uruguay, and Sweden. Early success in the tournament eluded them as they gained only one point after losing to Brazil and Sweden and drawing with Uruguay. The 1950 World Cup would be Spain's best ever finish. After the 1950 World Cup Spain entered a period of football wildernes and did not make another major appearance until Euro 60.
Under French-Argentine coach Helenio Herrera, Spain came out of a period of wilderness to qualify for the first European Championship in 1960. At Euro 60, Spain entered into the quarter finals and beat Poland 7-2 on aggregate. However, after a protest against the USSR, Spain was automatically knocked out of the competition.
European Champions and the Villalonga Era
In 1962 José Villalonga was appointed coach of Spain. Villalonga qualified Spain for the World Cup in 1962 but exited in the first round after facing a tough group 3 consisting of Brazil, Czechoslovakia, and Mexico. Two years later they won the European Championship. With a squad that included Luis Suárez, Francisco Gento, Josep Fusté and José Ángel Iribar, Spain beat Romania, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the qualifying rounds before hosting the semi-finals and final. In the semi-finals Spain beat highly favored Hungary 2-1. In the final, Spain beat the USSR 2-1 in front of a crowd of 90,000 at the Bernabéu. Jesus María Pereda put Spain ahead after just six minutes but they needed a late Marcelino Martínez header to win it after Galimzian Khusainov equalised with a free-kick.
As European Champions, Spain qualified for the 1966 World Cup with much of the 1964 squad under José Villalonga but failed to make an impression as they exited in the first round after losing to West Germany and Argentina but defeating Switzerland.
1968 to 1975
The departure of Villalonga put Spain into another period of wilderness with mixed results. They were knocked out by England in the quarterfinals of the 1968 European Championship knockout stages and did not make it to the final tournament held in Italy. Spain did not qualify for another tournament until Euro 76.
Post Francoist Spain, Late 70s and Early 80s
Spain ended a period of wilderness with an impressive undefeated performance in their Euro 76 qualifying group which featured Romania, Scotland, and Denmark. Spain exited in the quarterfinals having been defeated by Germany 3-1 on aggregate.
The 1978 World Cup witnessed Spain comeback to their first world cup since 1966. Spain qualified having defeated Yugoslavia home and away only losing to Romania in Bucharest. In the final tournament Spain were drawn into group 3 with Brazil, Austria, and Sweden. Spain's fortune ended in the first round when they lost to Austria 2-1, drew with Brazil 0-0, and defeated Sweden 1-0.
Euro 80 saw Spain qualify for the first eight-team European championship. After suprassing Romania, Yugoslavia, and Cyprus, Spain was drawn into group B with England, Italy, and Belgium. Spain proved to be the weakest side of the group as they gained only one point after a draw with Italy and losses to England and Belgium.
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 with Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia, and Honduras. Under pressure to perform well, Spain struggled through their group. On their first day of competition, they could only manage a 1-1 draw with unfancied Honduras. They picked up momentum with an impressive 2-1 victory against Yugoslavia but were defeated 1-0 by Northern Ireland. Despite the defeat, Spain progressed to the second round. Spain was drawn into Group B in the second round with West Germany and England. Spain's campaign ended when they were defeated by West Germany 2-1 and drew 0-0 with England, and as disappointment swept the country, Santamaría was sacked.
1984 to 1988
After a disappointing World Cup campaign on home soil, Spain were desperate to regain their credibility on the world footballing stage. Former Real Madrid coach Miguel Muñoz, who had temporarily coached Spain in 1969, returned to the national side. Spain topped Euro 84 qualifying Group 7, which consisted of the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Iceland, and Malta. Spain passed the qualifying stage unexpectedly, as they had to defeat Malta by an 11-0 scoreline. They did with a 12-1 scoreline (after 3-1 in halftime). In the final tournament, Spain were dubbed as outsiders by bookmakers despite many talented players and a strong football league. Spain were drawn into group B with West Germany, Portugal, and Romania. In their first game, they drew 1-1 with underdogs Romania. Three days later they drew 1-1 again with Portugal. Spain topped the group with an impressive 1-0 victory over West Germany to avenge their defeat two years earlier. The semifinals paired Spain with darkhorses Denmark. After 1-1 at extra time Spain defeated Denmark 5-4 on penalties after Preben Elkjær shot over the bar. Going beyond anyone's expectations Spain reached the final to face the hosts and tournament favorites France. Led by captain Michel Platini, France were tipped as heavy favorites yet Spain however were not shunned out having gone beyond anyone's expectations. Spain were defeated 2-0 after a goalless first half and finished a runners up to create their second-best finish in European Championship history.
To build on their impressive Euro 84 performance, Muñoz helped Spain qualify for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Spain progressed in qualifying having topped Group 7 with Scotland, Wales, and Iceland. Muñoz took Spain to Mexico with a mixed squad of new and veteran players. Spain's group in the final tournament consisted of Brazil, Northern Ireland, and Algeria. Spain began the tournament nervously losing to Brazil 1-0. However, they progressed after 2-1 and 3-0 victories over Northern Ireland and Algeria respectively. Round 2 paired Spain with Denmark who topped their group from all three victories. In what was one of the strangest World Cup games, Spain defeated Denmark 5-1 with Emilio Butragueño scoring four goals. Spain progressed to the quarterfinals to face Belgium who had impressively defeated the USSR 4-3. Spain's quarter-final with Belgium finished 1-1 after extra time failed to produce a goal. Their 1986 campaign ended when they were defeated 5-4 on penalties. Despite their quarterfinal exit, the squad of 1986 was the highest scoring Spanish team.
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 with West Germany, Italy, and Denmark. They began their tournament with a 3-2 victory over Denmark. However, their luck ended when they were knocked out in the group stage after defeats respective 1-0 and 2-0 to Italy and West Germany.
1990 to 1992
The 90s began with Spain looking to perform well and compensate for poor performances at Euro 88 at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. For 1990, Spain's new coach Luis Suárez selected many new players including Manuel Jiménez, Genar Andrinúa, and Martín Vázquez. Spain qualified from a group consisting of Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Northern Ireland, and Malta. Before the tournament Spain looked impressive by going almost undefeated in their friendly and qualifier games. In the final tournament Spain was in group E with Belgium, Uruguay, and Korea Republic. Spain began with a less than impressive 0-0 draw with Uruguay. They later defeated Korea 3-1 and avenged Belgium 2-1 after 1986. Spain's impressive first round performance was tarnished by a 2-1 defeat to Yugoslavia in the second round. As a reuslt Spain exited earlier than expected having disappointed their fans for not improving on their 1986 campaign.
Further disappointment followed when newly appointed coach Vicente Miera failed to qualify 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 in Barcelona.
Clemente's reign, 1992-98
Javier Clemente was appointed as Spain's coach in 1992 in hopes of bringing home a major international trophy. The 1994 World Cup was once again a testing ground for Spain's ability to perform well at the senior level. Spain qualified very impressively with nineteen points from twelve matches, a twenty three goal differential, and ranked as number five in Europe. In the final tournament Spain were drawn in Group C with Germany, Bolivia, and Korea Republic. The Spaniards were expected to easily progress to the second round alongside Germany. In their first game Spain drew with Korea 2-2 having given up a 2-0 lead. Three days later they drew 1-1 with Germany also giving up the lead. Spain qualified for the second round as expected with a 3-1 victory over Bolivia. Spain continued their success in the second round with a 3-0 victory over Switzerland. Their success ended with a controversial 2-1 defeat to Italy in the quarter-finals. A nasty and bloody foul committed by Mauro Tassotti towards Luis Enrique left the Spanish midfielder's nose broken in the penalty box, but with no penalty call given, Roberto Baggio would score the game winner for Italy in the last minutes. The 1994 campaign was seen as one of Spain's best despite the disappointment. Spain were once again left searching for a performance beyond the quarter-finals.
Clemente was hoping to build on their impressive yet disappointing performance in 1994 to perform well at Euro 96. Spain qualified as expected with impressive results from their group consisting of Denmark, Belgium, Cyprus, Macedonia, and Armenia. The final tournament witnessed Spain in a group with France, Romania, and Bulgaria. Their first game once again proved to be below expectations as they failed to beat Bulgaria and drew 1-1. After Bulgaria, Spain faced what proved to be a very strong French side but fought to sluggish 1-1 draw. Spain confirmed their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over a weak Romanian squad. In their quarter-final match with host England, Spain ran out of luck as they had a pair of goals questionably disallowed and were denied two possible penalties[1]. Spain eventually fell 4-2 in the shootout.
In his second World Cup as Spain's coach, Clemente put his team through intensive training to try to put themselves as serious contenders to do well at the 1998 World Cup in France after yet another dismal performance at Euro 96. Many new rising stars such as Raúl González and Fernando Morientes were giving Spanish fans hope for the upcoming tournament. Despite falling in the world rankings to a record low before the World Cup, Spain went undefeated in their qualifying group with Yugoslavia and Czech Republic being the other contenders. Spain qualified with fourteen other European sides in the first ever thirty-two team World Cup. Group D consisted of Spain, Bulgaria, Paraguay, and Nigeria, many considered this group to be the Group of Death of the entire tournament. In their first game against African powers Nigeria, Spain led 1-0 and 2-1 in each half with much superiority. However, Nigeria amazingly turned the game around in the last twenty minutes and won 3-2 largely in part by an error made by all-time capped Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. This defeat left Spain's hopeful campaign in ruins and sent Javier Clemente searching for answers. Their second game was a minor improvement, but left Spanish fans disappointed once again as Spain could only manage a 0-0 draw with Paraguay. After only a point from their first two games, Spain needed to rely on Nigeria and Paraguay drawing their match in order to qualify. In their last group game Spain fought valiantly to crush Bulgaria 6-1 hoping that goal differential would send them through. Spain's hopes did not go as planned as Paraguay defeated Nigeria 3-1. Spain were eliminated in the first round with only four points and finished third behind Paraguay and Nigeria. This was by far one of the most disappointing Spanish campaigns in recent times.
Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002
After a 3-2 opening defeat to Cyprus in Euro 2000 qualifying Clemente was sacked and José Antonio Camacho was promptly appointed as coach. Camacho immediately turned Spain's campaign around and Spain won the rest of their games to qualify for Euro 2000, including two 9-0 wins against Austria and San Marino. Once again Spain's hopes rested on a new coach and young players such as Raúl González, Fernando Morientes, Míchel Salgado, and Juan Carlos Valerón. Spain again were going to a major competition as one of the contenders for the title. In the final tournament Spain were in group C with Norway, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia. As always, Spain started their campaign with disappointment, losing 1-0 to Norway. But Spain got back into the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Slovenia. Their last game proved to be another nerve wreck as they looked to be going out of the tournament. Their last game was against Balkan powerhouse Yugoslavia. Spain started the match nervously by going down 1-0 with a Yugoslavian goal from Milošević. Alfonso Pérez was able to put a goal back for Spain in the 38th minute ending the first half with a 1-1 score. However, shortly after halftime Spain went down again 2-1 but made it 2-2 on 51 minutes with a goal by Pedro Munitis. Spain went down yet again 3-2 for the third time at 75 minutes. With only fifteen minutes left Spain desperately searched for an equalizer. After throwing every player forward Spain was still down 3-2, but at the 90th minute another Spanish goal from a late penalty by Gaizka Mendieta and a dramatic second goal by Alfonso Pérez in the dying seconds of stoppage time turned the game around making the final score 4-3 for Spain. Spain finished at the top of group C to book a quarterfinal clash with 1998 World Cup Champions, France. After a dramatic clash with Yugoslavia, Spain were confident in shocking the world champions. The game began with a dramatic first half with bombardment of both goals. The half ended 2-1 for France despite a late penalty for Spain which was missed by Raúl. Despite a strong Spanish attack France held on to win and knock Spain out prematurely. Disappointment and saddness swept Spain as the team could not impress their fans and suffered yet another quarterfinal exit.
Spain hoped once again for a good World Cup impression in 2002 in the Far East. Qualifying went as expected for Spain as they topped an easy group consisting of Austria, Israel, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. Under Camacho Spain hoped that lessons learned from Euro 2000 would bring them better luck. But for Santiago Cañizares it was bad luck. Right before the competition started, he got injured and couldn't participate as the starting goalkeeper. This gave the 21 year old Iker Casillas the starting position. In the final tournament Spain were drawn into group B with Slovenia, Paraguay, and South Africa. This time Spain began the World Cup very strongly with 3-1 victories over Slovenia and Paraguay and a 3-2 victory over South Africa. Spain topped the group with nine points to face off a second round contest with the Republic of Ireland. An early goal from Spanish striker Fernando Morientes gave hope to the Spaniards. With just stoppage time remaining after the 90th minute, Fernando Hierro brought Robbie Keane down in the penalty box and Ireland equalized. The game went to extra-time where, unexpectedly, Spain was left with nine players on the field due to back to back injuries and no more sub-ins available. However, Spain were able to hold on and force the penalty shoot-out, where the young Iker Casillas proved himself worthy of the starting goalkeeper spot, stopping two penalties. After several misses and scores from both sides, Spain came out on top with a 3-2 victory. Spain booked a quarterfinal berth with hosts Korea Republic who upset Italy in round two. Spanish fans were confident this was the year Spain was to progress beyond the quarterfinals in any major tournament since Euro 84. After a hard fought 120 minutes and disallowed goals for the Spaniards, Spain faced another penalty shootout. Spain scored three penalties as did Korea. However, Spain's worst nightmare became reality after Joaquín had his penalty saved. Korea scored their last two penalties through Ahn Jung-Hwan and Hong Myung-Bo to knock Spain out of the 2002 World Cup. Spanish fans were shocked by another successive, and highly controversial, quarterfinal exit.
Euro 2004
At Euro 2004 in Portugal, Spain were drawn into group A with Portugal, Russia and Greece. After coming into second after Greece in qualifying, Spain looked very strong. The Spanish team were touted as heavy favorites for the 2004 crown by the European media. They possessed new and fresh players such as Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso under new coach Iñaki Sáez. Spain were also hoping that the tournaments proximity would contribute to their success. On June 12th, Spain expectedly defeated Russia, 1-0, the goal scored by Juan Carlos Valerón just 36 seconds after coming on[1] with various opportunities to increase the victory, such as a miss kick from Joseba Etxeberría against a virtually open goal,[2] and a disallowed goal from Xabi Alonso for tapping the ball with his hand after heading it over Sergei Ovchinnikov. Four days later Spain faced Greece. Determined to win, Spain led the match until Greece scored an equalizer and the match ended 1-1. In their last game against Portugal, Spain needed to draw to qualify for the quarterfinals. However, a goal from Nuno Gomes faded Spain's hopes of advancing. The same day Greece were defeated 2-1 by Russia but moved ahead to claim second place on goal difference. As a result Spain were eliminated from Euro 2004 in the first round that consisted of the tournament's eventual finalists in Portugal and Greece. This exit was considered the most disappointing result since the 1998 World Cup. Iñaki Sáez was sacked only weeks later and replaced by Luis Aragonés.
2006 World Cup
Under Luis Aragonés, Spain struggled throughout the 2006 World Cup qualifying stage. Spain were in group 7 with Serbia & Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Lithuania, and San Marino. Despite mixed results including five wins and draws, Spain qualified for a playoff spot with Slovakia. Spain qualified for the final tournament after defeating Slovakia 6-2 on aggregate. Many didn't know what to expect of Spain heading into Germany; despite almost failing to qualify, the Spanish side had many talented players. Spain were drawn into Group H with Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. Spain won their opening game over Ukraine in a comfortable 4-0 result, with two goals from David Villa and one each for Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso. The first penalty of the tournament was awarded after Vladislav Vaschuk was sent off for pulling on Torres. Spain won their second game against Tunisia 3-1. A goal in the 8th minute through Jawhar Mnari put Tunisia ahead, but Spain scored through Raúl in the 71st min and Fernando Torres in the 76th min. Fernando Torres scored from the penalty spot in injury time to get his second goal in the game. Spain beat Saudi Arabia by 1-0 in Kaiserslautern on the 23 June. However Spain fell 3-1 in the second round by the more experienced France team, despite having led the game 1-0 after a penalty kick scored by David Villa. Spanish fans once again faced a premature exit and a performance below expectations. Spain and Brazil shared the 2006 FIFA Fair Play Award.
Euro 2008: Champions at Last
Spain started its qualifying round on September 2, 2006 for Euro 2008 by beating Liechtenstein 4-0 in Badajoz. They were then upset by Northern Ireland 3-2 in Belfast on September 6, 2006. A second straight defeat - a 2-0 loss to Sweden - followed on October 7, 2006. However, a 2-1 win against Denmark on March 24, 2007 in Madrid, along with a goal from Andrés Iniesta giving Spain a 1-0 victory at home to Iceland on March 28, 2007 put new life into Spain's campaign. On June 2, they won 2-0 at Latvia, and four days later they won against Liechtenstein 2-0. Both goals were scored by David Villa in that game. Spain's hopes for a 5-match winning streak were halted at Reykjavik, when Iceland held Spain to a 1-1 draw. Iniesta managed to save the point for Spain after he scored a late goal in that match. Their winning ways resumed at Oviedo, when Xavi and Torres gave Spain a 2-0 win against Latvia. Spain's next opponent was Denmark, who they defeated 3-1 at Aarhus. On November 18, 2007, Spain beat Sweden 3-0 with goals from Joan Capdevila, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Ramos, qualifying for Euro 2008. On 21 November, they got revenge on Northern Ireland by beating them 1-0, thereby preventing them from qualifying.
In preparation for the tournament, manager Luis Aragonés spoke confidently, but not without a bit of sarcasm, of Spain's chances to make it out of their group, "Sure, it's going to be easy for us; all we have to do is to beat Sweden who historically have better results than us, down Greece who are the reigning champions and then Russia and all that will be easy"[3]
On Tuesday, 10th June 2008, Spain beat Russia 4-1 when David Villa scored the first hat-trick of the competition. Later in the match, Cesc Fabregas scored a diving head in the last minute to complete the victory.
On Saturday, 14th June 2008, Spain defeated Sweden 2-1 when David Villa scored in stoppage time. Villa beat out two Swedish defenders and finally Andreas Isaksson for the decisive goal. The win gave Spain six points in the group stage securing its place as the group winner and a quarter-final appearance.
On Wednesday, 18th June 2008, Spain defeated Greece 2-1 to advance from the group stage with a perfect nine point total. Having already secured the top spot in the group, Spain made ten line-up changes with only Andrés Iniesta staying on from the initial roster. Rubén de la Red and Daniel Güiza scored to send the defending European champions, Greece, home without a victory.
On Sunday, 22nd June 2008, Spain defeated Italy 4-2 on penalty kicks when their quarter final match ended 0-0 after extra-time. The European media is quoted as saying that the "curse is broken", referring to Spain being unable to defeat Italy in a competitive match since the 1922 Olympic Games, Spain never having won a Quarter-final in a World Cup or European Championship and Spain's record of losing penalty shoot-outs on 22nd June - losing to Belgium in the 1986 World Cup, England in Euro '96, and South Korea in the 2002 World Cup, all on that day of the year. Their other penalty shoot-out against Denmark at Euro '84 was played on the 24th June and was won. This was also the first professional penalty kick that Cesc Fabregas & Santi Cazorla took.
Spain played the semi-final against Russia on Thursday, 26th June 2008 and won by three goals to nil. Second half goals from Xavi, Daniel Güiza and David Silva means Spain will be in their first major final after 24 years. They met Germany in the final on Sunday, 29th June 2008 in Vienna, beating Germany 1-0 with a goal scored by Fernando Torres in the 33rd minute. This ended Spain's major title drought of 44 years.
Template:2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 5
Kits
Spain's traditional kit was a red jersey with yellow trim with dark blue shorts and socks. Their current change kit is with a gold jersey with white shorts and socks. The kits are currently manufactured by Adidas.
World Cup record
Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
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Did Not Enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Quarter-final | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
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Did Not Enter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Fourth place | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 12 |
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Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Round 1 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
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Round 1 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
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Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Round 1 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
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Round 2 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
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Quarter-final | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 4 |
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Round of 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
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Quarter-final | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 6 |
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Round 1 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
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Quarter-final | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
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Round of 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
Total | 12/18 | - | 49 | 22 | 12 | 15 | 80 | 57 |
- *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- **Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
European Championships record
Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Did not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
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Did not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Did not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Did not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
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Final | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
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Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
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Did not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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Quarter-final | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
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Quarter-final | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
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Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
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did not qualify | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
Total | 8/13 | 31 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 44 | 32 |
- *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- **Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
- ***Ongoing Competition.
Spain national football team head to head
Current squad
Caps and goals as of June 26 2008
Recent call ups
The following players have been called up for the team in 2008.
Name | DOB | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
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Defenders | ||||
Ángel López | March 10, 1981 (age 27) | ![]() |
5 (0) | v France, February 6, 2008 |
Pablo Ibañez | August 3 1981 (age 26) | ![]() |
23 (0) | v France, February 6, 2008 |
Midfielders | ||||
Albert Riera | April 15, 1982 (age 26) | ![]() |
5 (1) | v Italy, March 26, 2008 |
David Albelda | September 1, 1977 (age 30) | ![]() |
51 (0) | v France, February 6, 2008 |
Strikers | ||||
Bojan Krkić | August 28, 1990 (age 17) | ![]() |
0 (0) | v France, February 6, 2008 |
Players
Notable players
- Players are ordered by year of debut with national football team
Top Spain goalscorers
As of June 26, 2008, the twenty players with the most goals for Spain are:
# | Player | Career | Goals (Caps) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Raúl | 1996-2006 | 44 (102) |
2 | Fernando Hierro | 1989-2002 | 29 (89) |
3 | Fernando Morientes | 1998-2007 | 27 (47) |
4 | Emilio Butragueño | 1984-1992 | 26 (69) |
5 | Alfredo di Stéfano | 1957-1961 | 23 (31) |
6 | Julio Salinas | 1986-1996 | 23 (56) |
7 | Míchel | 1985-1992 | 21 (66) |
8 | Telmo Zarra | 1945-1951 | 20 (20) |
9 | David Villa | 2005- | 18 (35) |
10 | Isidro Lángara | 1932-1936 | 17 (12) |
11 | Luis Regueiro | 1927-1936 | 16 (25) |
12 | Pirri | 1966-1978 | 16 (41) |
13 | Fernando Torres | 2003- | 16 (53) |
14 | Santillana | 1975-1985 | 15 (56) |
15 | Luis Suárez | 1957-1972 | 14 (32) |
16 | Estanislao Basora | 1949-1957 | 13 (22) |
17 | Julen Guerrero | 1993-2000 | 13 (41) |
18 | Luis Enrique | 1991-2002 | 12 (62) |
19 | Ladislao Kubala | 1953-1961 | 11 (19) |
20 | Alfonso Pérez | 1992-2000 | 11 (38) |
21 | Amancio | 1962-1974 | 11 (42) |
Selected Managers
see also List of Spain national football team managers and Category:Spain national football team managers
- Francisco Bru, 1920
- Pedro Parages, 1923-1924
- Paulino Alcántara,1951
- Ricardo Zamora, 1952
- Pedro Escartín Morán, 1952-1961
- Helenio Herrera, 1959-1962
- José Villalonga, 1962-1966
- Domingo Balmanya, 1966-1968
- Luis Molowny, 1969
- Miguel Muñoz, 1969, 1982-1988
- Ladislao Kubala, 1969-1980
- José Santamaría, 1980-1982
- Luis Suárez, 1988-1991
- Vicente Miera, 1991-1992
- Javier Clemente, 1992-1998
- José Antonio Camacho, 1998-2002
- Iñaki Sáez, 2002-2004
- Luis Aragonés, 2004-2008
See also
- Spain national under-21 football team
- Spain national youth football team (Includes U-17 only)
External links
- RFEF site
- Information about the Spain national football team
- RSSSF archive of results 1920-
- RSSSF archive of player records
- The confirmation of Luis Aragonés' preliminary squad