Spain’s march to the 2024 European Championship final will inevitably take fans back to when they last reached this stage — beating Italy 4-0 to win the 2012 edition in Kyiv, Ukraine.
It was the third of three consecutive major tournaments won by that Spanish golden generation — back-to-back Euros either side of the 2010 World Cup — and cemented their status as one of football history’s great teams. Heavily influenced by Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona side of that time and featuring stars such as Iker Casillas, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Spain recorded the largest margin of victory ever in a Euros final to claim the title for a third time, after 1964 and 2008.
After 2012, it took Spain another nine years to progress beyond even the round of 16 in a major tournament, reaching the semi-finals at the pandemic-delayed Euro 2020. They have now gone a step further than that in Germany, casting off the ‘tiki-taka’ tag attached to their predecessors and taking greater risks in their play. No side in the tournament have scored more than their 13 goals and they will be favourites to win Sunday’s final against England in Berlin.
Football was a very different sport when captain Casillas, the goalkeeper, lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy in Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium. But both Spanish teams are full of brilliant players, so The Athletic decided to try to put together a joint XI across the 12 years comparing the sides’ strength at each position.
This is by no means scientific and we encourage debate, so let us know what you think in the comments section at the end of the article.
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
There’s no real contest here — Unai Simon has been solid for Spain after winning the Copa del Rey with Athletic Bilbao last season but he is still error-prone and occasionally shaky with the ball at his feet. Casillas, meanwhile, was captain of that 2012 team managed by Vicente del Bosque and near-unbeatable.
The then-Real Madrid goalkeeper would go on to experience a torrid 2012-13 season under Jose Mourinho, which signalled the beginning of the end for his elite career, but he was at his peak as Ukraine and Poland co-hosted Euro 2012. He went 509 minutes without conceding a goal after Antonio Di Natale scored for Italy in the sides’ opening group match that turned out to be a dress rehearsal for the final — still a record — and also kept out Joao Moutinho’s penalty in the semi-final shootout win against Portugal.
🇪🇸 Iker Casillas went 509 minutes without conceding a goal at EURO 2012 🤯#HBD pic.twitter.com/0SbrRuTe0n
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) May 20, 2023
For those who say Casillas had nothing to do behind an exceptional defence, it is worth rewatching his point-blank save from Ivan Rakitic’s header in the group-stage meeting with Croatia.
Arguably the only weak spot in the 2012 team. Sergio Ramos made this position his own at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, but by 2012 he had moved to centre-back. His Madrid team-mate Alvaro Arbeloa played on the right for that year’s European Championship, but didn’t offer the incisiveness or tenacity of Carvajal, his successor for club and country.
Carvajal, now 32, missed the previous two Euros with injury but is making up for that with Luis de la Fuente’s current side. He scored his first international goal from Lamine Yamal’s inch-perfect cross to make it 3-0 in the opening game against Croatia and showed his knowledge of the dark arts by hauling back Jamal Musiala in the closing stages of the quarter-final against Germany to earn himself a second yellow.
He was already due to miss the semi-final through suspension, so it was either a selfless move to keep his team ahead or a dangerous act of cynicism, depending on who you were supporting.
Centre-backs: Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos
There can’t be much debate here either. Current first-choice pair Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand have built a strong understanding, but Pique and Ramos are two of the game’s greats and were formidable in the absence of Carles Puyol — the talismanic defender missed Euro 2012 following knee surgery.
Pique and Ramos gave that Spain team a physical presence they lacked elsewhere. Their partnership was slightly curious, given they played for Barcelona and Real Madrid at the height of those clubs’ Clasico rivalry. Pique was forced to deny rumours of a rift before the tournament, and he and Romas were able to put aside any differences for that summer.
Left-back: Jordi Alba
Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella has been one of Spain’s revelations in Germany, starting five of the six matches (missing only the group finale, when De la Fuente made 10 changes to the line-up with the group already won) despite the impressive form of Bayer Leverkusen wing-back Alex Grimaldo. Only Rodri has made more than Cucurella’s 12 tackles and only Fabian Ruiz has won possession in Spain’s defensive third more times than his 11.
But Alba provided the Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup winners with a different dimension, replacing that team’s previous left-back, Joan Capdevila. Alba was a constant source of energy and gave Spain width — particularly important given they started the 2012 final with no recognised forwards — and also made 45 recoveries, more than any other player at the tournament.
🇪🇸 Jordi Alba in the EURO 2012 final ❤️#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/VwS1aMqD8O
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) August 29, 2023
His goal to make it 2-0 in the final was the perfect illustration of his role, playing a one-two with Xavi before bursting into the box and finishing past Gianluigi Buffon.
Defensive midfielder: Sergio Busquets
How do you choose between the best defensive midfielder in world football today and arguably the sport’s greatest one of all time?
It is a tricky call, given both Rodri and Busquets are crucial to how their respective Spain sides work. Rodri has been the team’s de facto leader at Euro 2024 after another fine season with Manchester City and has the most touches for this team (465). Busquets led by example for Barcelona at club level, and few players have understood the game like him, but the City midfielder is better equipped for the physical demands of modern football and often kick-starts Spain’s attacks.
🇪🇸 Sergio Busquets 😎#HBD | @SeFutbol pic.twitter.com/vp76uGo7ny
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 16, 2023
We’ve plumped for Busquets to set the tempo as we think the physicality will come from elsewhere in this midfield, but either player would be a great option.
Midfielders: Xavi and Fabian Ruiz
It has been a while since Xavi was known for his fine playing performances rather than for his U-turns as Barcelona manager, but he more than merits a place in this combined XI. Few came close to his 531 completed passes at Euro 2012 — team-mate Xabi Alonso was second with 490 — and he was as unflustered as ever in the final.
It’s tempting to pick the entire midfield from that side for our combined XI, but times have changed and we need more than pass masters. That means Alonso misses out, despite being assured in possession and scoring the two goals against France that took Spain through to the semi-finals.
Ruiz replaces him in our team after showing impressive press resistance and an ability to move the ball forward at Euro 2024 — a surprise to those observers who did not expect the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder to start games. He has won possession in the attacking third more than any player in the tournament (12 times, compared to Rodri and Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo’s six), completed the most final-third passes for his team (106), provided two assists and scored in style in that opening win against Croatia.
The footwork. The finish.
Brilliant from Fabián Ruiz 🥵#EUROGOTT | @AlipayPlus pic.twitter.com/hgBA4RhHle
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 15, 2024
And if you are outraged Xavi’s usual midfield partner doesn’t feature, you can calm down now because…
Wide forwards: Lamine Yamal and Andres Iniesta
So much of Spain’s exciting play at Euro 2024 has gone through their exciting wingers, Barcelona’s Yamal (who turns 17 the day before the final against England) and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, 21.
Barcelona’s Yamal, who was four years old when Spain won Euro 2012, makes the cut for the way he stepped up in the semi-final against France and his all-round attacking enterprise — he has become the Euros’ youngest ever goalscorer at 16 years and 362 days old, boasts the 2024 tournament’s joint-most assists with one game to go (three) and has created the most ‘big chances’, according to sports technology company Twenty3, with six (ahead of Hungary’s Roland Sallai and Gakpo, both on four).
That does mean Manchester City’s David Silva misses out after starting off the right in the 2012 final and opening the scoring with his second goal of that tournament. But Yamal and Carvajal work well together and provide our combined team with width down the right, while Iniesta would drop back from the left.
Centre forward (false nine): Dani Olmo
Spain didn’t play with a centre-forward for much of Euro 2012 — their 2010 World Cup top scorer David Villa wasn’t back to full fitness after a broken leg, so Del Bosque used midfielder Cesc Fabregas as a false nine and brought on Fernando Torres, a true striker, when needed.
Fabregas scored twice and was effective in that role, but we’ve already stated the need for greater incisiveness. Alvaro Morata has been important in defending from the front for De la Fuente’s team but hasn’t scored since the first group game.
That brings us to Olmo. He isn’t a centre-forward either, but the RB Leipzig attacking midfielder has shown his versatility since stepping in for an injured Pedri, and his goal against France was his third in three consecutive knockout ties — making him the first Spain player to do that. He will give our team a cutting edge across the front line.
(Top photo: Getty Images)