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Spanish football and dominance

Spain’s rise to dominating world football has been underway since around 1992, when they started to put an emphasis on coaching, but in recent years their ascension can only be described as meteoric. To turn a team around from being perennial under achievers, to one of the best sides ever is no easy feat, yet Spain has done just that.

Back in the mid 90s, Spain was a team dogged by internal disputes and a distinct Madrid/Barca divide. Raul was the star of his generation but could never bring success to the national side. A revamp was needed and in 2006 Raul was dropped from the side; this was seen as the catalyst for change which was perhaps unfair on Raul himself.

Spain appointed Luis Aragones as manager, and on the pitch they would now be lead by players like Casillas and Iniesta, who began the new era with World Cup success in 2006, closely followed by winning Euro 2008; an astonishing turnaround for a team who had spent so many years in the wilderness. People point to a number of reasons for the transformation.

There was a new found harmony between the Barca stars and Real’s Galacticos. Much of the spine of the Spanish team now consisted of the generation defining Barcelona side. Barca was playing a brand of team football that other teams simply couldn’t compete with. The Spanish team duly adopted the same style of ‘Tiki-taka’ Total Football, and Barcelona’s domestic success was transferred directly to the national side.

Spain subsequently won the 2010 World Cup and are clear favorites for Euro 2012. Spain have came to be recognized as one of the best national sides ever, and seem to have commandeered Brazil’s reputation for attractive football and silky skills.

The current Spanish side is a highly technical team, and the coaching network they have put in place is based on training kids to enjoy the game. Skills like first touch and passing ability have taken prominence over winning.