While Spain are regulars at the World Cup, all too often they have underachieved. Their best finish of all-time was fourth at the 1950 tournament, which Uruguay won at the Maracana. But in general La Roja’s World Cup record is one of sorrow, comprising a strong squad on paper but a weak team on the pitch. Particularly dreadful was the first round exit at France ‘98. But after winning Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, and having an absurdly strong midfield and attack ready to fire on all cylinders, Spain have finally proved themselves. They are the only country to have topped the FIFA World Rankings without winning the World Cup.

Forget the statistics: let’s talk about an idea of how they Spain know how they want to play. It’s Barcelona-style football: possession play and an eye firmly on attack. Luis Aragones, the victorious 2008 coach, built a team around Barca pair Andres Iniesta and Xavi. With David Villa, David Silva, and Fernando Torres to aim for, this team does not want either for creativity or firepower. When Spain play, they take no prisoners.

Key players
Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)
Gerard Piqué (Barcelona)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
David Villa (Valencia)
Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
Puyol (Barcelona)
S.Ramos (Real Madrid)