Spain national football team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spain

Nickname(s)

La Selección (The Selection)
La Furia Roja (The Red Fury)
La Roja (The Red)

Association

Real Federación
Española de Fútbol

Confederation

UEFA (Europe)

Head coach

Luis Aragonés (until July 2008)

Captain

Iker Casillas

Most caps

Andoni Zubizarreta (126)

Top scorer

Raúl González (44)

FIFA code

ESP

FIFA ranking

Highest FIFA ranking

2 (December 1994)

Lowest FIFA ranking

25 (March 1998)

Elo ranking

Highest Elo ranking

1 (1920, 1921, 1925, 2002)

Lowest Elo ranking

20 (June 1969, June 1981)





First kit





Second kit

First international

Spain 1 - 0 Denmark

(Brussels, Belgium; 28 August 1920)

Biggest win

Spain 13 - 0 Bulgaria

(Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)

Biggest defeat

Italy 7 - 1 Spain

(Amsterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 1928)

England 7 - 1 Spain

(London, England; 9 December 1931)

World Cup

Appearances

12 (First in 1934)

Best result

Fourth place, 1950

European Championship

Appearances

7 (First in 1964)

Best result

Winners, 1964

Men’s Football
Olympic medal record
Silver	1920 Antwerp	Team
Gold	1992 Barcelona	Team
Silver	2000 Sydney	Team

The Spain national football team, commonly referred to as La Furia, is the national football team of Spain and is controlled by the Real Federación Española de Fútbol.

Spain has a reputation for underachievement in the FIFA World Cup, with their best finish being fourth place in 1950 despite often being among the pre-tournament favourites. They often start well, but struggle considerably in the later stages, which is frustrating given the team's supposedly enormous talent and diligence. They are considered by some as football's greatest underachievers. Their only senior level tournament victory is the 1964 European Championship, which they hosted. They also won the gold medal when they hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and in the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria. Their current FIFA ranking is 4th.

[edit] History

[edit] Early Years

Spain made their international football debut in 1920 at the Olympic Games in Antwerp and won the silver medal. They played their first home international in 1921, beating Belgium 2-0 in Bilbao. They also became the first non-British side to beat England when they won 4-3 in a friendly in Madrid in 1929. Spain however did not enter the 1930 World Cup. Four years later, Spain qualified for the second World Cup in Italy in 1934 and progressed to the quarterfinals where the lost to Italy 1-0 in a replay after a 1-1 draw. The Spanish Civil War and World War II did not see Spain play a competitive match until the 1950 World Cup.

They reached the final four-team group, consisting of the four group winners. The other winners were Brazil, Uruguay, and Sweden. Early success in the tournament eluded them as they gained only one point after losing to Brazil and Sweden and drawing with Uruguay. The 1950 World Cup would be Spain's best ever finish. After the 1950 World Cup Spain entered a period of football wildernes and did not make another major appearance until Euro 60.

Under French-Argentine coach Helenio Herrera, Spain came out of a period of wilderness to qualify for the first European Championship in 1960. At Euro 60, Spain entered into the quarter finals and beat Poland 7-2 on aggregate. However, after a protest against the USSR, Spain was automatically knocked out of the competition.

[edit] European Champions and the Villalonga Era

In 1962 José Villalonga was appointed coach of Spain. Villalonga qualified Spain for the World Cup in 1962 but exited in the first round after facing a tough group 3 consisting of Brazil, Czechoslovakia, and Mexico. Two years later they won the European Championship. With a squad that included Luis Suárez, Francisco Gento, Josep Fusté and José Ángel Iribar, Spain beat Romania, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the qualifying rounds before hosting the semi-finals and final. In the semi-finals Spain beat highly favored Hungary 2-1. In the final, Spain beat the USSR 2-1 in front of a crowd of 90,000 at the Bernabéu. Jesus María Pereda put Spain ahead after just six minutes but they needed a late Marcelino Martínez header to win it after Galimzian Khusainov equalised with a free-kick.

As European Champions, Spain qualified for the 1966 World Cup with much of the 1964 squad under José Villalonga but failed to make an impression as they exited in the first round after losing to West Germany and Argentina but defeating Switzerland.

[edit] 1968 to 1975

The departure of Villalonga put Spain into another period of wilderness with mixed results. They were knocked out by England in the quarterfinals of the 1968 European Championship knockout stages and did not make it to the final tournament held in Italy. Spain did not qualify for another tournament until Euro 76.

[edit] Post Francoist Spain, Late 70s and Early 80s

Spain ended a period of wilderness with an impressive undefeated performance in their Euro 76 qualifying group which featured Romania, Scotland, and Denmark. Spain exited in the quarterfinals having been defeated by Germany 3-1 on aggregate.

The 1978 World Cup witnessed Spain comeback to their first world cup since 1966. Spain qualified having defeated Yugoslavia home and away only losing to Romania in Bucharest. In the final tournament Spain were drawn into group 3 with Brazil, Austria, and Sweden. Spain's fortune ended in the first round when they lost to Austria 2-1, drew with Brazil 0-0, and defeated Sweden 1-0.

Euro 80 saw Spain qualify for the first eight-team European championship. After suprassing Romania, Yugoslavia, and Cyprus, Spain was drawn into group B with England, Italy, and Belgium. Spain proved to be the weakest side of the group as they gained only one point after a draw with Italy and losses to England and Belgium.

[edit] 1982 World Cup in Spain

In 1976 Spain was selected as host of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. This edition of the World Cup featured 24 teams for the first time. Expectations were high for Spain as the host nation under coach José Santamaría. In the group stages, Spain was drawn into Group 5 with Northern Ireland, Yugoslavia, and Honduras. Under pressure to perform well, Spain struggled through their group. On their first day of competition, they could only manage a 1-1 draw with unfancied Honduras. They picked up momentum with an impressive 2-1 victory against Yugoslavia but were defeated 1-0 by Northern Ireland. Despite the defeat, Spain progressed to the second round. Spain was drawn into Group B in the second round with West Germany and England. Spain's campaign ended when they were defeated by West Germany 2-1 and drew 0-0 with England, and as disappointment swept the country, Santamaría was sacked.

[edit] 1984 to 1988

After a disappointing World Cup campaign on home soil, Spain were desperate to regain their credibility on the world footballing stage. Former Real Madrid coach Miguel Muñoz, who had temporarily coached Spain in 1969, returned to the national side. Spain topped Euro 84 qualifying Group 7, which consisted of the Netherlands, Republic of Ireland, Iceland, and Malta. Spain passed the qualifying stage unexpectedly, as they had to defeat Malta by an 11-0 scoreline. They did with a 12-1 scoreline (after 3-1 in halftime). In the final tournament, Spain were dubbed as outsiders by bookmakers despite many talented players and a strong football league. Spain were drawn into group B with West Germany, Portugal, and Romania. In their first game, they drew 1-1 with underdogs Romania. Three days later they drew 1-1 again with Portugal. Spain topped the group with an impressive 1-0 victory over West Germany to avenge their defeat two years earlier. The semifinals paired Spain with darkhorses Denmark. After 1-1 at extra time Spain defeated Denmark 5-4 on penalties after Preben Elkjær shot over the bar. Going beyond anyone's expectations Spain reached the final to face the hosts and tournament favorites France. Led by captain Michel Platini, France were tipped as heavy favorites yet Spain however were not shunned out having gone beyond anyone's expectations. Spain were defeated 2-0 after a goalless first half and finished a runners up to create their second-best finish in European Championship history.

To build on their impressive Euro 84 performance, Muñoz helped Spain qualify for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Spain progressed in qualifying having topped Group 7 with Scotland, Wales, and Iceland. Muñoz took Spain to Mexico with a mixed squad of new and veteran players. Spain's group in the final tournament consisted of Brazil, Northern Ireland, and Algeria. Spain began the tournament nervously losing to Brazil 1-0. However, they progressed after 2-1 and 3-0 victories over Northern Ireland and Algeria respectively. Round 2 paired Spain with Denmark who topped their group from all three victories. In what was one of the strangest World Cup games, Spain defeated Denmark 5-1 with Emilio Butragueño scoring four goals. Spain progressed to the quarterfinals to face Belgium who had impressively defeated the USSR 4-3. Spain's quarter-final with Belgium finished 1-1 after extra time failed to produce a goal. Their 1986 campaign ended when they were defeated 5-4 on penalties. Despite their quarterfinal exit, the squad of 1986 was the highest scoring Spanish team.

Muñoz was retained as coach for Euro 88. As in the several previous tournaments Spain qualified impressively in a group with Austria, Romania, and Albania. Spain were drawn into group A with West Germany, Italy, and Denmark. They began their tournament with a 3-2 victory over Denmark. However, their luck ended when they were knocked out in the group stage after defeats respective 1-0 and 2-0 to Italy and West Germany.

[edit] 1990 to 1992

The 90s began with Spain looking to perform well and compensate for poor performances at Euro 88 at the 1990 World Cup in Italy. For 1990, Spain's new coach Luis Suárez selected many new players including Manuel Jiménez, Genar Andrinúa, and Martín Vázquez. Spain qualified from a group consisting of Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Northern Ireland, and Malta. Before the tournament Spain looked impressive by going almost undefeated in their friendly and qualifier games. In the final tournament Spain was in group E with Belgium, Uruguay, and Korea Republic. Spain began with a less than expected 0-0 draw with Urugauy. They later defeated Korea 3-1 and avenged Belgium 2-1 after 1986. Spain's impressive first round performance was tarnished by a 2-1 defeat to Yugoslavia in the second round. As a reuslt Spain exited earlier than expected had disappointed their fans for not improving on their 1986 campaign.

Further disappointment followed when newly appointed coach Vicente Miera failed to qualify Spain for Euro 92 after finishing third in a group behind France and Czechoslovakia. Vicente Miera did however lead Spain to the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

[edit] Clemente's reign, 1992-98

Javier Clemente was appointed as Spain's coach in 1992 in hopes of bringing home a major international trophy. The 1994 World Cup was once again a testing ground for Spain's ability to perform well at the senior level. Spain qualified very impressively with nineteen points from twelve matches, a twenty three goal differential, and ranked as number five in Europe. In the final tournament Spain were drawn in Group C with Germany, Bolivia, and Korea Republic. The Spaniards were expected to easily progress to the second round alongside Germany. In their first game Spain drew with Korea 2-2 having given up a 2-0 lead. Three days later they drew 1-1 with Germany also giving up the lead. Spain qualified for the second round as expected with a 3-1 victory over Bolivia. Spain continued their success in the second round with a 3-0 victory over Switzerland. Their success ended with a controversial 2-1 defeat to Italy in the quarter-finals. A nasty and bloody foul committed by Mauro Tassotti towards Luis Enrique left the Spanish midfielder's nose broken in the penalty box, but with no penalty call given, Roberto Baggio would score the game winner for Italy in the last minutes. The 1994 campaign was seen as one of Spain's best despite the disappointment. Spain were once again left searching for a performance beyond the quarter-finals.

Clemente was hoping to build on their impressive yet disappointing performance in 1994 to perform well at Euro 96. Spain qualified as expected with impressive results from their group consisting of Denmark, Belgium, Cyprus, Macedonia, and Armenia. The final tournament witnessed Spain in a group with France, Romania, and Bulgaria. Their first game once again proved to be below expectations as they failed to beat Bulgaria and drew 1-1. After Bulgaria, Spain faced what proved to be a very strong French side but fought to sluggish 1-1 draw. Spain confirmed their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over a weak Romanian squad. In their quarter-final match with host England, Spain ran out of luck as they had a pair of goals questionably disallowed and were denied two possible penalties[1]. Spain eventually fell 4-2 in the shootout.

In his second World Cup as Spain's coach, Clemente put his team through intensive training to try to put themselves as serious contenders to do well at the 1998 World Cup in France after yet another dismal performance at Euro 96. Many new rising stars such as Raúl González and Fernando Morientes were giving Spanish fans hope for the upcoming tournament. Despite falling in the world rankings to a record low before the World Cup, Spain went undefeated in their qualifying group with Yugoslavia and Czech Republic being the other contenders. Spain qualified with fourteen other European sides in the first ever thirty-two team World Cup. Group D consisted of Spain, Bulgaria, Paraguay, and Nigeria, many considered this group to be the Group of Death of the entire tournament. In their first game against African powers Nigeria, Spain led 1-0 and 2-1 in each half with much superiority. However, Nigeria amazingly turned the game around in the last twenty minutes and won 3-2 largely in part by an error made by all-time capped Spanish goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta. This defeat left Spain's hopeful campaign in ruins and sent Javier Clemente searching for answers. Their second game was a minor improvement, but left Spanish fans disappointed once again as Spain could only manage a 0-0 draw with Paraguay. After only a point from their first two games, Spain needed to rely on Nigeria and Paraguay drawing their match in order to qualify. In their last group game Spain fought valiantly to crush Bulgaria 6-1 hoping that goal differential would send them through. Spain's hopes did not go as planned as Paraguay defeated Nigeria 3-1. Spain were eliminated in the first round with only four points and finished third behind Paraguay and Nigeria. This was by far one of the most disappointing Spanish campaigns in recent times.

[edit] Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002

After a 3-2 opening defeat to Cyprus in Euro 2000 qualifying Clemente was sacked and José Antonio Camacho was promptly appointed as coach. Camacho immediately turned Spain's campaign around and Spain won the rest of their games to qualify for Euro 2000. Once again Spain's hopes rested on a new coach and young players such as Raúl González, Fernando Morientes, Míchel Salgado, and Juan Carlos Valerón. In the final tournament Spain were in group C with Norway, Slovenia, and Yugoslavia. As always, Spain started their campaign with disappointment, losing 1-0 to Norway. But Spain got back into the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Slovenia. Their last game proved to be another nerve wreck as they looked to be going out of the tournament. Their last game was against Balkan powerhouse Yugoslavia. Spain started the match nervously by going down 1-0 with a Yugoslavian goal from Milošević. Alfonso Pérez was able to put a goal back for Spain in the 38th minute ending the first half with a 1-1 score. However, shortly after halftime Spain went down again 2-1 but made it 2-2 on 51 minutes with a goal by Pedro Munitis. Spain went down yet again 3-2 for the third time at 75 minutes. With only fifteen minutes left Spain desperately searched for an equalizer. After throwing every player forward Spain was still down 3-2, but at the 90th minute another Spanish goal from a late penalty by Gaizka Mendieta and a dramatic second goal by Alfonso Pérez in the dying seconds of stoppage time turned the game around making the final score 4-3 for Spain. Spain finished at the top of group C to book a quarterfinal clash with 1998 World Cup Champions, France. After a dramatic clash with Yugoslavia, Spain were confident in shocking the world champions. The game began with a dramatic first half with bombardment of both goals. The half ended 2-1 for France despite a late penalty for Spain which was missed by Raul. Despite a strong Spanish attack France held on to win and knock Spain out prematurely. Disappointment and saddness swept Spain as the team could not impress their fans and suffered yet another quarterfinal exit.

Spain hoped once again for a good World Cup impression in 2002 in the Far East. Qualifying went as expected for Spain as they topped an easy group consisting of Austria, Israel, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Liechtenstein. Under Camacho Spain hoped that lessons learned from Euro 2000 would bring them better luck. In the final tournament Spain were drawn into group B with Slovenia, Paraguay, and South Africa. This time Spain began the World Cup very strongly with 3-1 victories over Slovenia and Paraguay and a 3-2 victory over South Africa. Spain topped the group with nine points to face off a second round contest with the Republic of Ireland. Goals by Fernando Morientes for Spain and Robbie Keane for the Republic of Ireland led both teams to a penalty shootout. After several misses and scores from both sides, Spain came out on top with a 3-2 victory. Spain booked a quarterfinal berth with hosts Korea Republic who upset Italy in round two. Spanish fans were confident this was the year Spain was to progress beyond the quarterfinals in any major tournament since Euro 84. After a hard fought 120 minutes and disallowed goals, Spain faced another penalty shootout. Spain scored three penalties as did Korea. However, Spain's worst nightmare became reality after Joaquín had his penalty saved. Korea scored their last two penalties through Ahn Jung-Hwan and Hong Myung-Bo to knock Spain out of the 2002 World Cup. Spanish fans were shocked by another successive quarterfinal exit.

[edit] Euro 2004

At Euro 2004 in Portugal, Spain were drawn into group A with Portugal, Russia and Greece. After coming into second after Greece in qualifying, Spain looked very strong. The Spanish team were touted as heavy favorites for the 2004 crown by the European media. They possessed new and fresh players such as Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso under new coach Iñaki Sáez. Spain were also hoping that the tournaments proximity would contribute to their success. On June 12th, Spain expectedly defeated Russia, 1-0, the goal scored by Juan Carlos Valerón just 36 seconds after coming on^[1] with various opportunities to increase the victory, such as a miss kick from Joseba Etxeberría against a virtually open goal,^[2] and a disallowed goal from Xabi Alonso for tapping the ball with his hand after heading it over Sergei Ovchinnikov. Four days later Spain faced Greece. Determined to win, Spain led the match until Greece scored an equalizer and the match ended 1-1. In their last game against Portugal, Spain needed to draw to qualify for the quarterfinals. However, a goal from Nuno Gomes faded Spain's hopes of advancing. The same day Greece were defeated 2-1 by Russia but moved ahead to claim second place on goal difference. As a result Spain were eliminated from Euro 2004 in the first round that consisted of the tournament's eventual finalists in Portugal and Greece. This exit was considered the most disappointing result since the 1998 World Cup. Iñaki Sáez was sacked only weeks later and replaced by Luis Aragonés.

[edit] 2006 World Cup

Under Luis Aragonés, Spain struggled throughout the 2006 World Cup qualifying stage. Spain were in group 7 with Serbia & Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Lithuania, and San Marino. Despite mixed results including five wins and draws, Spain qualified for a playoff spot with Slovakia. Spain qualified for the final tournament after defeating Slovakia 6-2 on aggregate. Many didn't know what to expect of Spain heading into Germany; despite almost failing to qualify, the Spanish side had many talented players. Spain were drawn into Group H with Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. Spain won their opening game over Ukraine in a comfortable 4-0 result, with two goals from David Villa and one each for Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso. The first penalty of the tournament was awarded after Vladislav Vaschuk was sent off for pulling on Torres. Spain won their second game against Tunisia 3-1. A goal in the 8th minute through Jawhar Mnari put Tunisia ahead, but Spain scored through Raúl in the 71st min and Fernando Torres in the 76th min. Fernando Torres scored from the penalty spot in injury time to get his second goal in the game. Spain beat Saudi Arabia by 1-0 in Kaiserslautern on the 23 June. However Spain fell 3-1 in the second round by the more experienced France team. Spanish fans once again faced a premature exit and a performance below expectations. Spain and Brazil shared the 2006 FIFA Fair Play Award.

[edit] Euro 2008

Spain started its qualifying round on September 2, 2006 for Euro 2008 by beating Liechtenstein 4-0 in Badajoz. But were then upset by Northern Ireland 3-2 in Belfast on September 6, 2006. A second straight defeat - a 2-0 loss to Sweden - followed on October 7, 2006. However a 2-1 win against Denmark on March 24, 2007 in Madrid along with a goal from Andrés Iniesta giving Spain a 1-0 victory at home to Iceland on March 28, 2007 put new life into Spain's campaign. On June 2 they won 2-0 at Latvia and four days later they won against Liechtenstein 2-0. Both goals were scored by David Villa in that game. Spain's hopes for a 5-match winning streak were halted at Reykjavik, when Iceland held Spain to a 1-1 draw. Iniesta managed to save the point for Spain after he scored a late goal in that match. Their winning ways resumed at Oviedo, when Xavi and Torres gave Spain a 2-0 win against Latvia. Spain's next opponent was Denmark, who they defeated 3-1 at Aarhus, a result that is expected to be definitive for the Spanish team's chances to qualify for the final round of the European Championships. On November 18, 2007, Spain beat Sweden 3-0 with goals from Joan Capdevila, Andres Iniesta, and Sergio Ramos, qualifying themselves for Euro 2008. On 21 November, they got revenge on Northern Ireland by beating them 1-0, thereby ruining their chances of qualifying.

In preparation for the tournement, manager Luis Aragonés spoke confidently, but not without a bit of sarcasm, of Spain's chances to make it out of their group, "Sure, it's going to be easy for us; all we have to do is to beat Sweden who historically have better results than us, down Greece who are the reigning champions and then Russia and all that will be easy"^[3]

On Tuesday 10th June 2008 Spain beat Russia 4-1 with David Villa scored the first hat-trick of the competition and after that Francesc Fabregas scored a diving head in the last minute to win 4-1. Spain is considered the favorite to win the tournament by several pundits but competition is fierce.

[edit] 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Turkey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Belgium	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bosnia and Herzegovina	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Armenia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Estonia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0


–	9 Sep '09	5 Sep '09	28 Mar '09	10 Oct '09	6 Sep '08
11 Oct '08	–	28 Mar '09	6 Sep '08	15 Oct '08	10 Oct '09
15 Oct '08	1 Apr '09	–	10 Sep '08	14 Oct '09	9 Sep '09
1 Apr '09	14 Oct '09	10 Oct '09	–	11 Oct '08	15 Oct '08
10 Sep '08	5 Sep '09	6 Sep '08	9 Sep '09	–	28 Mar '09
14 Oct '09	10 Sep '08	11 Oct '08	5 Sep '09	1 Apr '09	–

[edit] Kits

Spain's traditional kit was a red jersey with yellow trim with black shorts and black socks. Their current change kit is with a gold jersey. The kits are currently manufactured by Adidas.

[edit] World Cup record

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1930	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1934	Quarter-final	5	3	1	1	1	4	3
1938	Did Not Enter	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1950	Fourth place	4	6	3	1	2	10	12
1954	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1958	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1962	Round 1	12	3	1	0	2	2	3
1966	Round 1	10	3	1	0	2	4	5
1970	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1974	Did Not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
1978	Round 1	10	3	1	1	1	2	2
1982	Round 2	12	5	1	2	2	4	5
1986	Quarter-final	7	5	3	1	1	11	4
1990	Round of 16	10	4	2	1	1	6	4
1994	Quarter-final	8	5	2	2	1	10	6
1998	Round 1	17	3	1	1	1	8	4
2002	Quarter-final	5	5	3	2	0	10	5
2006	Round of 16	9	4	3	0	1	9	4
Total	12/18	-	49	22	12	15	80	57

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

[edit] European Championships record

Year	Round	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1960	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1964	Champions	4	4	0	0	11	3
1968	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1972	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1976	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1980	Round 1	3	0	1	2	2	4
1984	Runners-up	5	1	3	1	4	5
1988	Round 1	3	1	0	2	3	5
1992	Did not Qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
1996	Quarter-final	4	1	3	0	4	3
2000	Quarter-final	4	2	0	2	7	7
2004	Round 1	3	1	1	1	2	2
2008	Qualified
2012		-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	8/13	30	10	9	11	31	32

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

**Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

[edit] Recent results and forthcoming fixtures

Friendlies:
- Finland 0-0 Spain (October 17, 2007)
- Spain 1-0 France (February 6, 2008)
- Spain 1-0 Italy (March 26, 2008)
- Spain 2-1 Peru (May 31, 2008)
- Spain 1-0 USA (June 4, 2008)

UEFA Euro 2008
- Spain 4-1 Russia (June 10, 2008)
- Sweden vs. Spain (June 14, 2008)
- Greece vs. Spain (June 18, 2008)

[edit] Spain national football team head to head

Main article: Spain national football team head to head

[edit] Current squad

The following players were named as part of the 23-squad for Euro 2008 by Luis Aragonés.

He told the Spanish press, in an attempt to justify picking players such as Sergio García and Santi Cazorla that he "has picked a team taking no notice of the situation of the teams they play in" and also "there are many players who have not been chosen that, in terms of time played, have scored more goals than Raúl".^[4]

He also said that "Sergio García has had a brilliant end to the season and the team needed someone to play in the right wing" and that "Santi Cazorla has been playing extraordinarily well during the end of the season and can play as a second attacker and can play very well on the right wing".^[5]

Bojan announced one day before the 23-man squad was to be chosen that he was too tired to compete at the tournament and that he was suffering from fatigue. He said that he had reached an agreement with Luis Aragonés that he needed a break. "I know what it is I'm missing out on but I've reached a point where I'm very tired, at no point did I ever say 'no' to the Spanish team. On the other hand, I want to be honest with the manager, the [Spanish Football] Federation and with myself"

In an attempt to avoid speculation that he may want to play for Serbia instead he added, "My commitment to the Spanish set-up can't be called into doubt when you consider that I have always played when I have been called upon to do so. I played at a [UEFA] European Championship and a [FIFA] World Cup at Under-17 level and took part in three or four games with the Under-21s. There are no personal problems, I'm just exhausted and I need to disconnect."^[6]

#	Name	DOB	Club	Caps (goals)
Goalkeepers
1	Iker Casillas	20 May 1981 (age 27)	Real Madrid	78 (0)
13	Andrés Palop	22 October 1973 (age 34)	Sevilla	0 (0)
23	José Reina	31 August 1982 (age 25)	Liverpool	9 (0)
Defenders
2	Raúl Albiol	4 September 1985 (age 22)	Valencia	4 (0)
3	Fernando Navarro	25 June 1982 (age 26)	Mallorca	1 (0)
4	Carlos Marchena	31 July 1979 (age 28)	Valencia	43 (2)
5	Carles Puyol	13 April 1978 (age 30)	Barcelona	62 (1)
11	Joan Capdevila	3 February 1978 (age 30)	Villarreal	19 (3)
15	Sergio Ramos	30 March 1986 (age 22)	Real Madrid	35 (4)
18	Álvaro Arbeloa	17 January 1983 (age 25)	Liverpool	2 (0)
20	Juanito Gutiérrez	23 July 1976 (age 31)	Real Betis	23 (2)
Midfielders
6	Andrés Iniesta	11 May 1984 (age 24)	Barcelona	24 (4)
8	Xavi Hernández	25 January 1980 (age 28)	Barcelona	59 (7)
10	Cesc Fàbregas	4 May 1987 (age 21)	Arsenal	27 (1)
12	Santi Cazorla	13 December 1984 (age 23)	Villarreal	3 (0)
14	Xabi Alonso	25 November 1981 (age 26)	Liverpool	43 (1)
19	Marcos Senna	17 July 1976 (age 31)	Villarreal	12 (0)
21	David Silva	8 January 1986 (age 22)	Valencia	15 (2)
22	Rubén de la Red	5 July 1985 (age 22)	Real Madrid	2 (0)
Strikers
7	David Villa	3 December 1981 (age 26)	Valencia	32 (17)
9	Fernando Torres	20 March 1984 (age 24)	Liverpool	50 (15)
16	Sergio García	9 June 1983 (age 25)	Zaragoza	1 (0)
17	Dani Güiza	17 August 1980 (age 27)	Mallorca	4 (0)

[edit] Recent call ups

The following players have been called up for the team in 2008.

Name	DOB	Club	Caps (goals)	Most Recent Call up
Defenders
Ángel López	March 10, 1981 (age 27)	Villarreal	5 (0)	v France, February 6, 2008
Pablo Ibañez	August 3, 1981 (age 26)	Atlético Madrid	23 (0)	v France, February 6, 2008
Midfielders
Albert Riera	April 15, 1982 (age 26)	Espanyol	5 (1)	v Italy, March 26, 2008
David Albelda	September 1, 1977 (age 30)	Valencia	51 (0)	v France, February 6, 2008
Strikers
Bojan Krkić	August 28, 1990 (age 17)	Barcelona	0 (0)	v France, February 6, 2008

[edit] Players

[edit] Notable players

Players are ordered by year of debut with national football team

1920

Ricardo Zamora (GK)
Josep Samitier (MF)

1928

Jacinto Quincoces (DF)

1934

Isidro Lángara (FW)
Luis Regueiro (FW)

1936

Ángel Zubieta (DF)

1945

Telmo Zarra (FW)
Agustín Gaínza (FW)

1949

Estanislao Basora (FW)

1950

Antoni Ramallets

1951

Paulino Alcántara (FW)

1953

Ladislao Kubala (MF/FW)

1955

Francisco Gento (MF)

1957

Alfredo di Stéfano (FW)
Luis Suárez (MF)

1958

José Santamaría (DF)

1961

Ferenc Puskás (FW)

1962

Amancio Amaro (FW)

1963

Carlos Lapetra (FW)

1964

1965

Luis Aragonés (FW)

1969

Salvador Sadurní (GK)

1970

Quini (FW)

1975

Vicente del Bosque (MF)
Jesús María Satrústegui (FW)

1977

Luis Arconada (GK)

1978

Rafael Gordillo (MF)
Carlos Alonso González "Santillana" (FW)

1981

Víctor Muñoz (MF)

1982

José Antonio Camacho (DF)

1984

Emilio Butragueño (FW)

1985

Andoni Zubizarreta (GK)
Míchel (MF)

1986

Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo (DF)
Julio Salinas (FW)

1989

Fernando Hierro (DF)

1991

Luis Enrique (MF)
Miguel Ángel Nadal (DF)

1992

Pep Guardiola (DF)
Alfonso Pérez (FW)

1993

Santiago Cañizares (GK)
Julen Guerrero (FW)

1994

Sergi Barjuán (DF)

1996

Raúl González (FW)

1998

1999

Gaizka Mendieta (MF)
Pedro Munitis (FW)

2000

2003

Xabi Alonso (MF)
Fernando Torres (FW)

2005

2006

Andrés Iniesta (MF)

[edit] Top Spain goalscorers

As of June 10, 2008, the twenty players with the most goals for Spain are:

#	Player	Career	Goals (Caps)
1	Raúl	1996-2006	44 (102)
2	Fernando Hierro	1989-2002	29 (89)
3	Fernando Morientes	1998-2007	27 (47)
4	Emilio Butragueño	1984-1992	26 (69)
5	Alfredo Di Stéfano	1957-1961	23 (31)
=	Julio Salinas	1986-1996	23 (56)
7	Míchel	1985-1992	21 (66)
8	Telmo Zarraonaindía	1945-1951	20 (20)
9	Isidro Lángara	1932-1936	17 (12)
=	David Villa	2005-	17 (32)
11	Luis Regueiro	1927-1936	16 (25)
=	Pirri	1966-1978	16 (41)
13	Fernando Torres	2003-	15 (50)
=	Santillana	1975-1985	15 (56)
15	Luis Suárez	1957-1972	14 (32)
16	Estanislao Basora	1949-1957	13 (22)
=	Julen Guerrero	1993-2000	13 (41)
18	Luis Enrique	1991-2002	12 (62)
19	Ladislao Kubala	1953-1961	11 (19)
=	Alfonso Pérez	1992-2000	11 (38)
=	Amancio Amaro	1962-1974	11 (42)

[edit] Selected Managers

Francisco Bru, 1920
Pedro Parages, 1923-1924
Paulino Alcántara,1951
Ricardo Zamora, 1952
Pedro Escartín Morán, 1952-1961
Helenio Herrera, 1959-1962
José Villalonga, 1962-1966
Domingo Balmanya, 1966-1968
Luis Molowny, 1969
Miguel Muñoz, 1969, 1982-1988
Ladislao Kubala, 1969-1980
José Santamaria, 1980-1982
Luis Suárez, 1988-1991
Vicente Miera, 1991-1992
Javier Clemente, 1992-1998
José Antonio Camacho, 1998-2002
Iñaki Sáez, 2002-2004
Luis Aragonés, 2004-2008

[edit] See also

Spain national under-21 football team
Spain national youth football team (Includes U-17 only)

[edit] External links

[edit] Titles

Preceded by 1960 USSR	European Champions 1964 (First title)	Succeeded by 1968 Italy

Football in Spain

v • d • e

League competitions	RFEF	Cup competitions
Primera División	Spain	Copa del Rey
Segunda División	U-21/Youth	Copa de la Liga
Segunda División B (4 groups)	Clubs 1/Clubs 2	Supercopa de España
Tercera División (18 groups)	List of venues	Copa Federación
Divisiones Regionales		Copa de Campeones Juvenil
División de Honor Juvenil (7 groups)	Foreign players	Copa del Rey Juvenil
Liga Nacional Juvenil (21 groups)
Superliga Femenina
Liga Nacional Femenina (6 groups)