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It’s not as though Spain never had any talented footballers either. La Roja always boasted a plethora of world-class talents, from Amancio Amaro, Francesco Gento, Luis Suárez, and Alfredo Di Stéfano in the 1950s and 1960s, to Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Fernando Hierro, and Raúl in the 1990s and early 2000s.Īside from the aforementioned 1964 championship though, Spain’s various icons had nothing to show for their legacy. “ just a long history of mistakes, mental slips, and underwhelming play,” Michael said. Granted, Spain did finish as champions in its only Euros appearance in that era, but given that only four teams (including Spain) participated in that edition, how much weight does that victory really carry? Spain’s European qualification record was equally abysmal just one European Championship appearance in the tournament’s first five editions, and none as a non-host. Iker Casillas lifts the 2008 European Championship trophy.
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It’s the worst qualification record from any current World Cup winner during that time period. In the World Cup’s first 10 editions, Spain only qualified to the tournament four times. You only had to take a look at their tournament records to prove it. Indeed, Spain were international football’s most famous chokers. “They had been known as perennial bottlers at worst and a team with bad luck at best,” “Spain was known for just having a weak mentality and always kind of bottling in clutch moments,” said Michael, a long-time Atletico Madrid fan and La Liga enthusiasts. After all, the past 11 years has seen La Roja reach a Confederations Cup final, win back-to-back European Championships, and clinch a famous FIFA World Cup victory.īut success and Spain weren’t always synonymous with one another. If you’re a young football fan, you’d be forgiven for thinking of Spain as a perennial football powerhouse. To be redirected to a page where you can access all seven chapters, click here. Chapters will be revealed every few days.
#Casillas fifa 09 series#
This piece is part of a larger, seven-part series on the career of Iker Casillas, as told by rival fans.