Eleven years and five major tournaments later, with all but one of those winners, Jesus Navas, now gone and the days when they dominated everyone disappearing into the distance, Spain at last lifted a trophy again. It was only the Nations League, sure, but victory over Croatia last summer reconnected the Seleccion with the feeling of triumph. Having reached the final in the previous edition, where they were unfortunate to lose to France, and having beaten Italy en route both times, it also brought back the belief that maybe they can compete again.
These have been difficult years. Three tournament wins in a row – world champions in 2010, either side of Euros successes – were a weight upon them and were followed by failure. In 2014, 2016 and 2018, Spain did not win a knockout game. At Euro 2020, they reached the semi-finals where, despite defeat, they played superbly against Italy and something seemed to be building under Luis
