La Roja won all seven games without needing penalties, a record at a European Championship. A 2-1 win over England in the final made them European champions for an unprecedented fourth time.
And they did it the hard way, beating every other European nation who have ever won a World Cup – Italy, Germany, France and England, plus beaten 2018 finalists Croatia – on the way to glory in Berlin.
La Roja won all seven games
In Rodri they had the player of the tournament. In teenage sensation Lamine Yamal they had the young player of the tournament. Dani Olmo shared the Golden Boot. Yamal had the most assists.
Former Spain midfielder Juan Mata, on BBC One, added: “We played great football, always tried to win the games and I think we deserve to win this tournament. And that defined the difference between the two teams; one played to win and the other played not to lose.
It is easy to forget they did not come into the tournament as one of the absolute favourites, with England and France the two tipped for glory.
Spain were deserved champions
Even England boss Gareth Southgate admitted Spain were deserved champions.
Heartbreak for the English fans, who really did believe ‘football was coming home’ and at the final whistle you could feel the hurt from the English players and the England manager. In all there interviews you could literally feel the pain.
England fell agonisingly short in their quest to land a major trophy for the first time in 58 years as they slipped to defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final; Cole Palmer levelled things up but not having a world class keeper cost England Gareth Southgate’s side have now lost back to back European Championship finals.