Spain’s victory at this summer’s European Championship was their first Euros title since 2012. In fact, the national team had experienced a relatively lean period in the years between the wins.
But when Spain do reach the business end of tournaments, they generally come out on top – as one incredible statistic highlights.
Whether in World Cups, European Championships, the Champions League or the Uefa Cup/Europa League, in the last 27 men’s finals involving Spanish teams, all 27 resulted in wins for Spain.
Meanwhile, the women’s game in Spain has thrived in the last decade and is also starting to reel in big successes in the high-pressure games.
The country’s victory over England in last year’s Women’s World Cup final came in just their third appearance at the tournament, having made their debut in 2015.
Spain’s women won the Nations League earlier this year while Barcelona have won the last two Women’s Champions League titles.
“The changes in women’s football in Spain have been especially significant,” former player Maria Garrido, who is now a journalist, told BBC Sport.
“Ten years ago when I played for FC Barcelona, there was no La Masia [the famed academy at Barcelona] for girls. We covered our own transport costs, our parents brought us to training, and we didn’t earn any money.
“But in the last five years, the situation has improved dramatically. There has been a substantial push to promote women’s football, including the creation of more youth categories, better facilities and conditions, and the establishment of a dedicated football academy for girls.
“This transformation has not only revolutionised the sport but also elevated the respect for women’s football in Spain.”
These successes for both the men’s and women’s teams followed lifting numerous titles at youth level over the last decade, with the players from those teams taking that winning mentality into senior football.
Salma Paralluelo is just 20, but she was part of Spain’s Women’s World Cup-winning team and is already two-times Women’s Champions League winner with Barcelona.
At youth level, she won the Under-20 and Under-17 Women’s World Cup, as well as the Under-17 Women’s European Championship.
“We are working very well but we are seeing that in the lower categories,” she said in an interview with Fifa last year.
“We are winning everything. In the end we are normalising winning. It is incredible what is being done.”
