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Spain have arguably been the most dominant international side of the 21st century. The Spanish team was nearly unassailable between 2008 and 2012. With Iker Casillas in goal, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta bossing midfield, and Fernando Torres' strike partnership with David Villa, Spain conquered Europe and then the world.
They won the UEFA Euro in 2008 with Torres bagging the winner in the final against Germany. In 2010, Spain overcame the Netherlands in the FIFA World Cup Final with the same 1-0 scoreline as their Euro '08 victory. Iniesta scored the winner in the second half of extra time off an assist from Cesc Fabregas.
At Euro 2012, Spain trounced Italy 4-0 in the final to seal their second consecutive triumph in the competition. They were ruthless from start to finish and the game was the summary of a decade of Spanish domination in world football.
You can watch the highlights here:
Great players make great teams and then coach Vicente del Bosque had a vast array of players to pick from. Spain have produced some of the finest footballers ever and continue to do so. Youngsters like Pedri, Pau Torres, Marco Asensio and Yeremi Pino seem well-equipped to carry forward their nation's run at the top.
With that in mind, let's take a look back at five of the greatest footballers Spain has produced in the 21st century.
#5. Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres was born in Fuenlabrada, Spain, in 1984. He came through Atletico Madrid's youth ranks in late 1990s and made his senior debut for the club in 2001. The striker went on to play for various clubs including Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan and Sagan Tosu.
Torres has played in 724 club games, scoring 256 goals and providing 74 assists. He has won two UEFA Europa League titles, one UEFA Champions League title and one FA Cup over the course of his career.
The Spanish striker has won two Euros with his country (2008, 2012) and the World Cup in 2010. Torres has scored 39 goals and has provided 10 assists in 111 appearances for Spain, making him their third-highest goalscorer of all-time.
He scored the winner for Spain in the Euro 2008 final against Germany, securing his nation's first major honor since 1964.
The striker was in his prime during his spell at Liverpool between 2007-11. He would score off half-chances and usually require no more than two touches in the box before unleashing a lethal strike towards goal. He scored a fantastic goal against Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League in similar fashion.
You can watch it here:
Torres returned to his boyhood club Atletico Madrid later in his career. He spent a short time in Japan with Sagan Tosu before hanging up his boots in 2019. After a two year hiatus from the sport, Torres took over as the manager of Atletico Madrid's U-19 side in 2021 and is currently in-charge.
#4. Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1987. He began his youth career at Barca's La Masia in 1997 before transferring to Manchester United's academy in 2004. He made his senior professional bow at United but moved back to Spain with Barcelona in 2008 and has been there since.
Pique has played 637 career club games, scoring 57 goals and providing 14 assists. He has won eight La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey cups, four UEFA Champions League titles and one Premier League title.
The defender has made 102 appearances for Spain, scoring five goals and assisting two. With his national side, Pique won the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2012, where they conceded just one goal. He retired from the Spain team in 2018.
Pique is known for his defensive awareness, positional play, aerial prowess and ball-playing abilities. He has been the cornerstone of Barca's defense for the last decade or so.
His side are currently 18 points adrift of arch-rivals Real Madrid and the defender will hope they can catch up by the end of the season.
#3. Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos was born in Camas, Spain, in 1986. He began his youth career at Sevilla in 1996 and came through the ranks to make his senior debut in 2003. Real Madrid signed the promising defender for a €27 million fee in 2005, a record for a Spanish defender. Having started his career as a right-back, Ramos now plays at centre-back.
The Spain international has made 719 club appearances, scoring an impressive 104 goals and providing 41 assists. He has won five La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey cups, four Champions League titles and four FIFA Club World Cups.
Sergio Ramos captained the Real Madrid side that completed a historic three-peat in the Champions League between 2015-18. The team was managed by former player Zinedine Zidane, who had co-incidentally set-up Ramos for his first goal for Los Blancos.
Ramos is a defender known for his passionate and aggressive approach to the game, which often boils over when provoked. He has received a total of 27 red cards in his club career - eight straight red and 19 double-yellows. Although his fiery side can benefit his teams if channelised properly, he has stirred up some brawls on the pitch in the past.
Sergio Ramos has made 180 appearances for Spain, scoring 23 goals and assisting eight. He was part of the Spain team that won the UEFA Euros in 2008 and 2012 and the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
Ramos is also renowned for his body art.
He is currently playing in France with Paris Saint-Germain after transferring before the start of the season. He recently took his career red card tally up to 27 with two clumsy challenges against Lorient in Ligue 1.
#2. Xavi Hernandez
Xavier Hernandez was born in Terrassa, Spain, in 1980. He came through the youth ranks at Barcelona's La Masia and made his senior team bow in 1997. He played the majority of his career at Barca before moving to Al Sadd in 2015 and retiring there in 2019. The midfielder was known for his vision, passing ability and incredible ball control.
Xavi played a total of 871 club games, scoring 109 and assisting 213 goals. He is the perfect example of a player who one needs to watch to understand his impact. Xavi controlled the tempo of the game with his innovative passing and creation of space.
He won eight La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey cups, four UEFA Champions League titles and two Club World Cups. He made 132 appearances for Spain, scoring 12 and assisting 24. Xavi won the 2008 and 2012 Euros, as well as the 2010 World Cup with his country.
Xavi hung his boots in 2019 as one of the very few players with over 1000 appearances for club and country. He is currently the manager of his beloved club FC Barcelona.
#1. Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta was born in Fuentealbilia, Spain, in 1984. He, too, came through the ranks at Barcelona's La Masia academy and made his senior debut in 2001. Iniesta spent 16 years as an integral part of Barca's first-team and became one of the best midfielders in history during this time.
Iniesta has made 778 total club appearances, scoring 80 goals and assisting 161. He has won nine La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey cups, four Champions League titles and three Club World Cups.
For Spain, the midfield maestro made 131 total appearances, scoring 13 and assisting 30. He was part of the Spain team that won the Euros in 2008 and 2012, as well as the World Cup-winning side of 2010. Andres Iniesta was the hero that night, scoring in extra-time to give Spain a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in the final.
You can re-live the historic moment here:
Iniesta moved to Japan to sign with Vissel Kobe in 2018. He recently signed a two-year extension with the club that sees his stay extended until at least 2023.
