Spanish national football team
Matches that gave a nation wings
Since its inception in 1920, the Spanish national football team has played many matches that have made us fly, giving us a weightless feeling along with joy and pride. While we wait for Luis de la Fuente’s boys to give us unforgettable moments during the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, let’s go over the eleven most iconic starting matches in Spanish history.
The Spanish national football team is dreaming of its second star which would make it the two-time winner of the world. During this journey, which will hopefully culminate on the 19th of July at the MetLife Stadium in New York, Spain will have to play several of those matches that give us wings to fly. Yes, those games that make your heart race, make you hug strangers and leave you spent but happy, having had an experience of a lifetime. We are talking about those 90 minutes — or 120 if there is overtime — which are ingrained in our collective memory and turn your living room, your local pub or the village square into the centre of the world. They don’t always have to end in a victory, sometimes feeling deep pride is enough. As Iberia reminded the players when they got on the plane: “When a team takes flight, the whole country flies.” Since 1920, La Roja has starred in many matches like this, but at Talento a bordo we wanted to select our own starting line-up.
Spain 1 – 0 Netherlands
2010 World Cup Final
Extra time. 115 min. Jesús Navas sprints, Andrés Iniesta takes the touch, Fernando Torres clips the ball into the centre, Cesc Fabregas makes a short pass... A sequence that all Spaniards know by heart and that culminated in a right-footed shot into the net by the genius from Fuentealbilla. After that, the collective and joyous cry of “¡Iniesta de mi vida!” [Iniesta of my life!]. The Spanish national team won its first World Cup — the greatest milestone in its history — in Johannesburg (South Africa) after a match not for the faint of heart.
When? 11 July 2010.
Spain 1 – 0 Germany
2008 Euro Final
The beginning of the most beautiful story ever told about the Spanish national team unfolded at the legendary Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna. Their opponents were Germany. Fernando Torres’ goal, after a powerful sprint past defenders and a subtle finish past Jens Lehmann, put Spain 1-0 up. Much more than just a match. Luis Aragonés’ men brought Spain back to its former glory after 44 years and banished the demons that had haunted them for decades. Goodbye, inferiority complex!
When? 29 June 2008.
Spain 4 – 0 Italy
2012 Euro Final
An ode to football. The pinnacle of an unrepeatable generation and a style — the famous tiki-taka — that delighted football fans. A style marked by short passes and possession that brought Italy to its knees. David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata scored the goals in a collective triumph. The “once upon a time” era in Vienna came to an end — we didn’t know it then — in Kyiv (Ukraine). Along the way: the European Championship, the World Cup, and another European Championship. They can’t take that away from us!
When? 01 July 2012.
Spain 2 – 1 Soviet Union
1964 Euro Final
For decades, Spaniards could only cling to one memory — Marcelino’s famous goal — if they wanted to crack a smile when thinking about the national team. In the midst of the Cold War, Iribar, Zoco, Amancio, Pereda, Luis Suárez — the only Spanish Ballon d’Or winner until Rodri’s victory in 2024 — and company defeated the all-powerful Soviet Union, led by The Black Spider, as the legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin was known, in a packed Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
When? 21 June 1964.
Spain 2 – 1 England
2024 Euro Final
The day Spain won its fourth European Championship, becoming the most decorated nation on the continent. Surpassing Germany with three, France with two, Italy with two… Quite an achievement. Luis de la Fuente’s team once again inspired millions of Spaniards with a new generation of footballers. Although Lamine Yamal was the tournament’s breakout star, it was a collective triumph in which players like Mikel Oyarzabal and Nico Williams — the final’s goalscorers — among others, played a fundamental role.
When? 14 July 2024.
Spain 12 – 1 Malta
1984 Euro Qualification Match
The Spanish national team needed to beat Malta by eleven or more goals if they wanted to qualify for the 1984 European Championship. In short, they needed a miracle. And indeed, that winter night in Seville, the Benito Villamarín stadium witnessed it. The goals rained down one after another until, in the 84th minute, Señor scored the decisive 12-1. The euphoric commentary of the ever-restrained José Ángel de la Casa became part of the collective memory of an entire nation.
When? 21 December 1983.
Spain 0 – 0 Croatia
2023 Nations League Final
Luis de la Fuente’s era at the helm of the Spanish national team couldn’t have a better start. More than just another trophy for our cabinet — the first since the Euro 2012 —, the victory restored our confidence and allowed us to face the future with enthusiasm. The match against Modric’s Croatia was decided in a heart-stopping penalty shootout — one of Spain’s most elusive achievements — thanks to Unai Simón’s saves and Dani Carvajal’s decisive penalty.
When? 18 June 2023.
Spain 4 – 3 Yugoslavia
2000 Euro Quarter Final
Drama… with a happy ending. When the fourth official signalled stoppage time, Spain was losing 2-3 and on the verge of being knocked out. Just a few minutes later, the team was winning 4-3 and qualifying as group winners. What happened in that incredibly short span of time is something we’ll never forget because it brought us to heaven. First, Mendieta’s penalty; then, Alfonso’s volley. Later came the painful elimination against France — with Raúl’s penalty blasted over the bar — but that’s another story.
When? 21 June 2000.
Spain 0 – 2 France
1984 Euro Final
Spain has played in five European Championship finals, winning four of them. The exception is the 1984 match against France on hostile territory, specifically at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Platini, who opened the scoreboard with a free kick capitalising on a mistake by Arconada, ended Spain’s dream. The defeat did not tarnish the team’s outstanding tournament, which saw them go from nearly missing out on the finals — only the 12-1 victory over Malta prevented it — to finishing as the runner-up.
When? 27 June 1984.
Spain 0 – 0 South Korea
2002 World Cup Quarter Final
Life is full of joys, but also setbacks, and the national team’s journey is no different. That’s why we can’t ignore those matches that, despite the suffering they caused, made us stronger. The Spain-South Korea match of 2002 stands out — penalty shootout included — for the controversial performance of the three referees. Only the Egyptian Al-Ghandour, the Trinidadian Ragoonath, and the Ugandan Tomusange prevented Spain from reaching their first World Cup semifinals.
When? 22 June 2002.
Spain 1 – 2 Italy
1994 World Cup Quarter Final
Blood, sweat, and tears… All summed up in one image: Luis Enrique bleeding from the nose after Mauro Tassotti elbowed him in the face. Hungarian referee Sándor Puhl ignored the Spanish players’ angry protests, and the incident went unpunished. Ultimately, Spain lost to a Roberto Baggio goal in the 88th minute, but they left with their heads held high after such an intense and controversial match.
When? 09 July 1994.
