“There is no doubt that this surprises you more than it surprises us,” Spain’s manager Luis de la Fuente told reporters in his country.
His side had just beaten France in the semi-finals of the European Championship, and set up a clash with England in Sunday’s final.
And surprise – wonderful – is probably the best word to describe what many Spanish fans felt at this tournament.
Expectations were low on Spain’s sun-kissed streets as the Euros got underway, but that has quickly turned into national euphoria, helping to unite this deeply divided country.
- Secretary, Guy Hedgecoe
- Part, BBC News, Madrid
“At first my friends and I thought that the selected players were the coach’s choice and did not represent the opinion of the majority of the Spanish people,” said Jorge Gallego, a Spanish fan in Madrid.
“We didn’t expect to reach the final but throughout the competition we started to realize that we could go further.”
Although it is estimated that 11,500 Spanish fans went to Berlin for the final game, big home screens have been installed in parks, sports centers and stadiums where they can watch.
Here in Madrid, local authorities have said that, if Spain wins, victory celebrations will take place near the Plaza de Cibeles in the center of the capital.
Meanwhile, the players are being praised, among them defender Marc Cucurella, who has become a folk hero thanks to his big hair and an internet song about him that has gone viral.
The lyrics have paella and beer – it’s a song often heard in the stands of his league club, Chelsea.
The soccer team provides an unusual meeting place. Parties and politicians celebrate not only the results but also the emergence of players, like Lamine Yamal, who turned 17 on Saturday and became a star.
This group also represents Spain’s multicultural reality. Yamal’s father is Moroccan and his mother is from Equatorial Guinea, while Nico Williams’ Ghanaian parents arrived in Spain after crossing the Sahara Desert and lowering the fence around the Melilla area.
Yamal emphasized his humble origins, holding up his fingers after pointing to postcode 304, a working-class, multicultural district in the Catalan city of Mataró where he grew up.
It is a place that a member of the far-right Vox party, Manuel Gavira, once described as a “multicultural dung heap”.
But the strange feeling is that the Spaniards welcome their team, both for its game and what it stands for.
The newspaper El Periódico said that “young Spain, sassy and reborn, has become the mirror of a changed, multi-ethnic and diverse country”.
Even King Felipe joined in the celebrations, saying that the group of men, expressed “joy, happiness and security”, while praising the “sparkle” of Yamal.
It is easy to forget that Yamal’s selection raised eyebrows and led to accusations that De la Fuente – a young coach who had never worked with a top-flight team – lacked the experience to succeed .
On the face of it, the team was far from the star-studded side that won two European titles and the World Cup between 2008-2012.
The results are clear reason for renewed faith. It has six wins out of six – a first for any Euro team – against opponents that not only include Didier Deschamps’ France, but also hosts Germany and Euro 2020 champions Italy.
The style of those victories was also important. Gone is the “tiki-taka” game of passing, possession that has brought Spain great success in the past. Instead, Spain plays straight, with its two emerging stars, Williams and Yamal, destroying the wings.
The result is a less controlled and more enjoyable approach than before.
Spanish fans, who hate soft football, bought it.
“Spain will win, without a doubt,” said Luis García, a Venezuelan immigrant who supports Spain.
“They have shown that they are the best team. It is amazing that the team has improved so much with these young players and that our hope rests in these kids.”
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