In the early hours of July 15th, the curtain finally fell on the Euro final. Spain, thanks to a goal from Nico Williams and a decisive strike from substitute Asier Oyarzabal, edged out England 2-1 to claim their fourth European crown in history. Coupled with Real Madrid’s Champions League victory, Spain becomes the first nation since the Netherlands in 1988 to win both the coveted Champions League and Henri Delaunay trophies in the same year.
Spain has previously lifted the Euro trophy three times, tying with Germany for the most titles. However, Spain holds a unique distinction: they are the only team to have successfully defended their title. After a 12-year hiatus, a less illustrious Spanish squad has rediscovered the charm of beautiful football. The exuberance of Yeremi Pino, the speed of Nico Williams, the calmness of Rodri, and the frequent emergence of impactful substitutes have rendered La Roja invincible.
Reflecting on Spain’s triumphant journey, it’s clear that their success was hard-earned. Firstly, Spain overcame five top-ten ranked teams – Croatia, Italy, Germany, France, and England – all within the so-called “Group of Death,” making their path to glory as arduous as Germany’s in 2014.
Secondly, Spain thoroughly dominated the national teams of their counterparts from the other major European leagues, affirming their dominance. Thirdly, despite facing formidable opponents, Spain never required penalty shootouts to progress, usually settling matters within 120 minutes, including the regular-time elimination of France and the final’s dramatic win over England. Fourthly, Spain’s march to glory included victories over England (valued at €1.52 billion) and France (€1.23 billion), with Portugal (eliminated by France) being the only side valued above €1 billion to escape their clutches.
Fifthly, Spain became the first team in Euro history to clinch the title with a perfect seven-match winning streak, following in the footsteps of France in 1984 as the second team to win all games en route to the title (excluding penalty shootouts). Additionally, Spain shattered a 36-year-old curse by securing both the Champions League and Euro titles in the same year.
In the 2023/24 season, Real Madrid dispatched RB Leipzig, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund en route to their record-extending 15th Champions League title. Meanwhile, Spain went undefeated in all seven matches, reclaiming their European throne after a 12-year absence. The last nation to achieve this double in the same year was the Netherlands, with PSV Eindhoven lifting the Champions League trophy in 1988 and the Oranje, led by Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard, capturing the Henri Delaunay trophy.