Ranking Spain's top 5 footballers of the 21st century
Spain have arguably been the most dominant international side of the 21st century. The Spanish team was nearly unassailable between 2008 and 2012. With Iker Casillas in goal, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta bossing midfield, and Fernando Torres' strike partnership with David Villa, Spain conquered Europe and then the world.
They won the UEFA Euro in 2008 with Torres bagging the winner in the final against Germany. In 2010, Spain overcame the Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup Final with the same 1-0 scoreline as their Euro '08 victory. Iniesta scored the winner in the second half of extra time off an assist from Cesc Fabregas.
At Euro 2012, Spain trounced Italy 4-0 in the final to seal their second consecutive triumph in the competition. They were ruthless from start to finish and the game was the summary of a decade of Spanish domination in world football.
You can watch the highlights here:
🇪🇸 Spain scored 4 when they met Italy in the EURO 2012 final 🏆
@SeFutbol | #NationsLeague https://t.co/IeLFD4ycDv
Great players make great teams and then coach Vicente del Bosque had a vast array of players to pick from. Spain have produced some of the finest footballers ever and continue to do so. Youngsters like Pedri, Pau Torres, Marco Asensio and Yeremi Pino seem well-equipped to carry forward their nation's run at the top.
With that in mind, let's take a look back at five of the greatest footballers Spain has produced in the 21st century.
#5. Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres was born in Fuenlabrada, Spain, in 1984. He came through Atletico Madrid's youth ranks in late 1990s and made his senior debut for the club in 2001. The striker went on to play for various clubs including Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan and Sagan Tosu.
Torres has played in 724 club games, scoring 256 goals and providing 74 assists. He has won two UEFA Europa League titles, one UEFA Champions League title and one FA Cup over the course of his career.
The Spanish striker has won two Euros with his country (2008, 2012) and the World Cup in 2010. Torres has scored 39 goals and has provided 10 assists in 111 appearances for Spain, making him their third-highest goalscorer of all-time.
He scored the winner for Spain in the Euro 2008 final against Germany, securing his nation's first major honor since 1964.
#OnThisDay: Fernando Torres scored in the final of Euro 2008 to secure Spain's first major honour since 1964 #ESP https://t.co/5iznD3v6it
The striker was in his prime during his spell at Liverpool between 2007-11. He would score off half-chances and usually require no more than two touches in the box before unleashing a lethal strike towards goal. He scored a fantastic goal against Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League in similar fashion.
You can watch it here:
Liverpool signed Fernando Torres on this day in 2007.
▪️ 142 games
▪️ 81 goals
▪️ 20 assists
Prime Torres was something else 🤯 (via @LFC)
https://t.co/AWAx8AgfgO
Torres returned to his boyhood club Atletico Madrid later in his career. He spent a short time in Japan with Sagan Tosu before hanging up his boots in 2019. After a two year hiatus from the sport, Torres took over as the manager of Atletico Madrid's U-19 side in 2021 and is currently in-charge.
#4. Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1987. He began his youth career at Barca's La Masia in 1997 before transferring to Manchester United's academy in 2004. He made his senior professional bow at United but moved back to Spain with Barcelona in 2008 and has been there since.
Pique has played 637 career club games, scoring 57 goals and providing 14 assists. He has won eight La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey cups, four UEFA Champions League titles and one Premier League title.
The defender has made 102 appearances for Spain, scoring five goals and assisting two. With his national side, Pique won the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2012, where they conceded just one goal. He retired from the Spain team in 2018.
🇪🇸 @3GerardPique announces his retirement from international football.
🏟 103 Caps
⚽️ 5 Goals
🎯 3 Assists
🌍🏆 World Cup 2010
🇪🇺🏆 Euro 2012
👏 End of an era. https://t.co/4Ip3YssHfA
Pique is known for his defensive awareness, positional play, aerial prowess and ball-playing abilities. He has been the cornerstone of Barca's defense for the last decade or so.
His side are currently 18 points adrift of arch-rivals Real Madrid and the defender will hope they can catch up by the end of the season.