#7 Spain
Spain's journey from underachievers to world beaters has been quite the success story in world football. Spain always had the talent but never quite delivered at the big stage. With the turn of the century all that changed as they had a galaxy of superstars playing in the same era. The 'Tika-Taka' style of football worked wonders and Spain clinched their much-awaited maiden World Cup title in 2010.
Spain’s success at major tournaments has been largely credited to their creative midfield play and attacking prowess up front.
Spain had some lethal strikers who scored some breath-taking goals to make them a force to reckon with. In the 90s, Spain had lethal strikers in Raul and Fernando Morientes who formed the backbone of their forward line.
David Villa is Spain's most successful striker, netting 59 international goals. Villa formed a successful partnership with fellow striker Fernando Torres. Villa is Spain's top goalscorer at World Cup with nine goals. Spain's never-ending supply of creative midfielders has always been an integral part of their attacking plans. The likes of Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Isco and Koke have scored some spectacular goals for the national team.
The current Spanish attack comprising of Diego Costa, Iago Aspas and Pedro have all been successful at the international stage.
Leading goal scorers for Spain
1 David Villa 59
2 Raúl 44
3 Fernando Torres 38
4 David Silva 35
5 Fernando Hierro 29
6 Fernando Morientes 27
7 Emilio Butragueño 26
8 Alfredo Di Stéfano 23
9 Julio Salinas 22
10 Míchel 21
