Sunday’s European Championship final saw Spain beat England 2-1 thanks to goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal to crown a tournament in which they were by far the best team.
Luis de la Fuente’s side had an outstanding month, playing some thrilling football while beating heavyweights Italy, Germany and France to reach the final, with new superstars Williams, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo emerging along the way.
It comes 11 months after Spain also beat England, 1-0, to win the Women’s World Cup — having also been the best team in the tournament.
That triumph was, however, immediately marred by then Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales’ post-match behaviour, including kissing one of the players, Jenni Hermoso, on the lips during the on-pitch trophy presentation ceremony. Two months later, football’s worldwide governing body FIFA banned Rubiales from the sport for three years, and he is due to go on trial in Spain for alleged sexual assault and coercion, both of which charges he denies.
Rubiales’ shadow still hangs over all of Spanish football. He had appointed De la Fuente as men’s coach following the 2022 World Cup, and his hand-picked successor as RFEF president Pedro Rocha is being investigated in the same alleged corruption case as…
