All-time Spain XI in Euro history
So often derided for producing top class talent but failing at the final hurdle, the country of Spain was always looked at as a team with wonderful players, but lacking conviction and easy to defeat. Prior to the European Championships of 2008, they had won only a single international tournament, the Euros of 1964 which they hosted and finished runners-up in 1984 losing to a Platini-inspired France in the final.
The Spanish players had always experienced incredible success at club level but failed to succeed at the international stage. Fans started to think they will never get to witness their beloved La Roja lift a prestigious international title, until 2008.
Led by the golden generation of Barcelona and a strong Spanish core of Real Madrid, Spain didn’t just win but dominated the entire world winning the Euros of 2008 and the FIFA World Cup of 2010 before winning another European championship in 2012.
But the thing that captivated and made the world stand up and notice them was not their results, but how they went about achieving these results employing a style of passing and movement, simply called Tiki Taka.
Prior to the start of the European Championships of 2016, we take a look at the greatest XI of the defending champions, all the way from 1964 to the present.
Formation: 4-4-2 (Diamond)
Goalkeeper
Iker Casillas
The highest capped Spanish player ever (166) and the captain of the one of the greatest teams of all time, Iker Casillas has cemented himself in Spanish football history as the finest goalkeeper the country has ever seen. San Iker as he is fondly known by the supporters has found himself between the posts for well over a decade now, defending his country with class and aplomb.
His spectacular saves in the penalty shootout against Italy in the quarter-finals of the 2008 tournament led the team to the final, eventually defeating Germany. His leadership also saw the team win a second Euro on the trot in 2012.
Having come through the ranks of one of the European powerhouses in Real Madrid, Casillas has become a fan favorite and remains an icon. With age though, his reflexes and movement have diminished a bit and he is expected to be replaced by David De Gea as the starter for Euro 2016.
Nevertheless, he will always remain an incredible influence, one who was at the forefront of the ‘golden generation’ of Spanish football.