BERLIN — Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have been having a blast this summer. They were having a blast after Spain dethroned Georgia 4-1 in the Euro 2024 round of 16, as TV cameras showed them playing rock, paper, scissors to see who could drink from a water bottle first. They were also having a blast after Spain crushed Georgia 4-1 in the Euro 2024 round of 16. The RedThe Spanish national team's extra-time victory over host team Germany in the quarter-finals, as they danced in front of visiting Spanish fans.
Perhaps the only people having more fun than the two young Spanish wingers are those who have watched coach Luis de la Fuente's side shine at the Euros over the past month. Ahead of Sunday's final against England, few would argue that they have been by far the best and most entertaining team in the tournament.
While some of the favourites struggled to get through the group stage and then struggled to find their spark in the knockout rounds, Spain have won all six of their matches, scoring 13 goals in the process and creating a tournament-high 96 chances. Meanwhile, Portugal (5), France (4), Italy (3) and Belgium (2) have managed just one more goal between them than the entire Spanish team.
It hasn't always been like this for Spain since they won back-to-back European Championships and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012. In fact, it has been pretty bad at times. Penalty losses to Russia and Morocco at the last two World Cups, coupled with an inability to break down their opponents' low blocks, have led to questions about the team's identity. Did they need to deviate, even slightly, from their possession-based style? The answer, based on their success in Germany, is yes.
Spain have sometimes been willing to give up possession. Against Croatia in their opening game in Berlin, they had less possession than their opponents for the first time in 136 competitive matches, a run stretching back to their Euro 2008 final win over Germany. They did not have to wait long for it to happen again, with Germany outdoing them in the battle for possession in the quarter-finals.
“Perhaps in the past, having more possession of the ball guaranteed better results,” said De la Fuente after beating Croatia 3-0. “Now we can surprise our opponents. We used the ball very sensibly and were successful in the final third. This shows that you don't need to have the ball so much if you're a team like us, with rhythm.”
The narrative of the tournament was more or less written there and then: Spanish wingers Williams and Yamal have given it a new dimension with their joyful dribbling and the joy of living [joy of life]Williams shone again in the next game, a 1-0 win against Italy that should have been 5-0, and both have shone in knockout matches. Williams scored one goal and created another against Georgia, while Yamal assisted Dani Olmo against Germany and then scored a stunning equaliser in the semi-final win against France.
The two are as close off the pitch as their markers would like to be on it. Spain's six-week stay in Donaueschingen, 90 minutes south of Stuttgart in the Black Forest, has allowed a romance to develop. Midfielder Rodri says their youth and innocence are “contagious” and they play as you imagine they did growing up with their friends in the local square, without the pressure of representing a country of almost 48 million people.
Williams turned 22 on Friday and Yamal will be 17 on Saturday, the eve of the final, but age has not stopped them from progressing. Yamal has become the youngest player to play and score at a men's European Championship and seems unfazed by everything going on around him. His sublime goal against France, almost a carbon copy of the one he scored against the same country at last year's U17 Euros, may prove to be a defining moment in his career.
In the finals, he has contributed to four goals (one goal, three assists) and is the tournament leader in terms of chances created (16) and big chances created (6). He is fourth in terms of dribbles (34), only above his teammate Williams (35), the German Jamal Musiala (38) and the Belgian Jérémy Doku (39). But, above all, those who work with him at Barcelona and the Spanish national team highlight his maturity and decision-making ability.
Not even Frenchman Adrien Rabiot could get him out of his predicament. The midfielder said he would have to do more than he had done so far to reach the final. Yamal responded by saying that you don't talk until it's time to say checkmate. He then scored the great equaliser, but Rabiot was unable to block his shot. “Talk now,” the teenager told the cameras after the end of the match. “Checkmate,” he posted on social media the next day.
But to focus solely on Yamal and Williams, as is easy to do, is to overlook the importance of Rodri. Remarkably, at 28, this is his first tournament for Spain as a starter in his favoured position, midfield. He was a reserve midfielder at Euro 2020 and played centre-back at the 2022 World Cup. This is now his team. No other player in the Spanish national team has had more touches (465) or completed more passes (378) than him.
And he is also a leader. If Yamal makes good decisions, Rodri is often better. He knows exactly what a match requires. That is why, against Georgia, with Spain at a disadvantage, he stood with the ball in the middle of the field, gave some instructions and waited a few seconds. A few minutes later, he scored the equaliser and Spain won 4-1.
“Sometimes 20 or 30 seconds of telling people 'calm down' is more productive than going on the attack,” he told ESPN after the game.
Spain striker Joselu has suggested Rodri is the “most important player in the world” right now and there is a growing line of thinking among the Spain squad that the Manchester City star should win the Ballon d'Or.
“He should have won it last year when he won the Champions League and scored the winning goal in the final,” said defender Dani Vivian.
Rodri's presence is also a sign that, while this Spain team is different, it can also be the same, albeit not exactly the one from 2008-2012. It ranks fourth in ball possession in the tournament (behind Portugal, France and England) and has perhaps the best high press. Against France, it killed off the second half by taking control of the ball. It's not all down to the wingers' unpredictability.
In reality, Spain's success was not expected, not at this level. Left-back Marc Cucurella, one of the tournament's revelations, says the fact that they were regarded as unknowns motivated them, but in some ways it was a fair assessment.
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Spain coach De la Fuente expects England final to be a “fantastic spectacle”
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is hoping to face England in the Euro 2024 final.
Sunday's starting XI will feature ten clubs, as the days when Real Madrid and Barcelona dominated the national team are long gone. There is experience in age, but not in international caps; only Rodri, Alvaro Morata and Jesus Navas have made it past 50. Remarkably, this is the first Euro for Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal. With Nacho Fernandez and Joselu gone, he is also the only Madrid player in the squad. Yamal is Barca's only starter, with Pedri injured and Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez playing on the bench.
It was difficult to know what to expect from Spain, but De la Fuente had a good idea. An unexciting appointment after Luis Enrique, it now makes more sense. He previously enjoyed tournament success with Spain's youth teams, winning the European Under-21 and Under-19 Championships and a silver medal at the Olympics. Nine of the current squad played under him at some point in those tournaments.
Last summer, De la Fuente led the senior team to the UEFA Nations League title, although Williams and Yamal have since been brought into the squad. De la Fuente singles out a qualifying match against Georgia last September as key in the construction of this team. Yamal made his debut that day and was among the scorers in the 7-1 victory, as was Williams.
There is a clear idea of how Spain wants to play, the team is balanced and the players understand their roles. Most of De la Fuente's decisions have also been successful in Germany, including choosing Cucurella as a left-back, placing Fabian Ruiz alongside Rodri and using Olmo, who has the most goalscoring contributions in the tournament, in a midfield role.
A quiet optimism has grown around Spain’s camp in Donaueschingen. They feel at home in their luxury hotel, Der Öschberghof, where some of Europe’s biggest teams have spent pre-season training in the past, and the players have been entertaining themselves at their remote base: chess, video games, piano, mini-golf and even darts (which England’s Phil Foden passed on to City players past and present) are among their favourite ways to pass the time.
Carvajal has praised the relaxed atmosphere, saying it is less strict than in the Luis Enrique era. There are still fines for certain offences, managed by captain Morata, but even these will be forgiven if Spain win their fourth European Championship in Berlin this weekend.
England will stand in their way. It won't be decided by rock, paper or scissors, but it could well depend on a moment of magic from Williams or Yamal. They are not the only threat to Spain, but they are a benchmark. The RedThe new avant-garde of 's. They also have birthdays to celebrate.
