38 consecutive matches without defeat
This picture speaks volumes about the prestige of the names featured!
The legends of the Spanish national team were present at yesterday’s World Cup final:
Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Jesús Navas, and Ramos.
A magnificent golden generation that dominated from 2008 to 2012, winning two European Championships and a World Cup!
What’s truly remarkable about the Spanish national team is its identity.
They consistently choose to play the style of football they were raised on, the style that defined them and allowed them to grow.
Generations may change, but the style, philosophy, and core of the players remain constant.
This is what enabled them to reassert their dominance with a European Championship, a UEFA Nations League title, and a World Cup victory, all with a different generation of players!
For example, if you look at Brazil, the kings of the World Cup, you’ll find huge differences between then and now.
This is because identity here is individual, so if a generation emerges with less talent than previous generations, you won’t see Brazil dominating like they did from 1994 to 2007!
Spain always wins when they are the better team.
They win while playing with their authentic identity.
23 wins in 23 World Cup matches from 2002 to 2006, and 38 consecutive matches without a loss, the longest streak in history.
They didn’t become kings of football for nothing.
Pedri has a very sweet habit he does every time he wins a championship!
In this picture, you’ll see Pedri after the Spain-Argentina match taking a penalty kick against his father.
Yes, his father, you read that right! So, what’s the story?
The story, in short, is that Fernando González, Pedri’s father, was a goalkeeper and was very close to playing in the Spanish third division, but unfortunately, his father passed away, and he had to retire from football to take responsibility for the family!
And because of this story, every time Pedri wins a championship, he decides to take a penalty kick against his father and points to the corner so he can save it and live the dream he couldn’t achieve back then!
And by the way, yesterday Pedri came off the bench in the 62nd minute and managed to create the most chances in the entire match with 4 opportunities, including one clear goal-scoring chance.
His expected assists were only 0.50. Elegant as ever!
Since Unai Simón won the Best Goalkeeper award at the World Cup, I wanted to say that this award should be shared with the entire Spanish national team, not just Unai Simón!
Imagine that the Spanish national team played 8 matches in the World Cup and conceded only one goal.
Anyone who sees this statistic will say that Spain has a strong defense, and that’s true. But what kind of defense did Spain master?
Spain faced only 10 shots on target, only 5 clear scoring opportunities, and only 2.36 expected goals – the lowest numbers in the entire tournament.
All of this was achieved thanks to their philosophy of long possession, which aims to defend with the ball and keep the lines close together to win it back through counter-pressing.
Spain implemented this tactic successfully 51 times, more than any other team in the tournament!
Therefore, opponents couldn’t penetrate Spain’s defense to create chances, and imagine that Spain’s average possession was 64% per match!
This isn’t a team that drops back to defend; they hold onto the ball and deny it to you, and that’s the strongest form of defense in modern football!
That’s why the Best Goalkeeper award isn’t just deserved by Unai Simón, it’s deserved by the entire Spanish national team, who presented the strongest and most modern defensive philosophy you’ll ever see.
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38 consecutive matches without defeat
38 consecutive matches without defeat This picture speaks volumes about the prestige of the names featured! The legends of the Spanish national team were present at yesterday’s World Cup final: Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Jesús Navas, and Ramos. A magnificent golden generation that dominated from 2008 to 2012, winning two European Championships and a World…
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