¡Viva España!

Spain 4 Russia 1- If you did not catch the game live, somehow find your way to catch it on repeat, or at least the highlights. Last night Spain produced the best performance in the Euro 2008 tournament thus far. The Spanish national team have always boasted of some of the biggest names in world football. Sadly, they have also never won any major international silverware apart from Euro 64. This has earned them the 'underachiever' tag in every tournament. There are several reasons for Spain not to perform at the big stage.

Firstly, it is a country that is plagued by regional rivalry. There are mainly three regions in Spain: Castilla, Catalunya, and Basque among many other subdivisions. These regions do not even identify themselves with the name Spain. They speak different languages, and are even granted autonomy in government. Hence,in the past the team that Spain has put out has never had the national pride that most other teams can associate with. If you notice, even in the present day team, the players born in the Catalan or Basque regions do not wear the Spanish socks, instead they wear their own 'country's'. There are many other political affairs with this country. During the reigns of Franco, Catalan players(including some of the greats like Kubala) were never allowed to play for Spain.Even today a player born in Catalunya cannot become the captain of Spain. This is why Iker Casillas,although has every right to lead the team, is chosen as Captain ahead of the more experienced Carles Puyol. With this sort of regionalism involved, its not hard to see why Spain has never been very successful.

Secondly, Spain just never seem to have the luck. From recent history: In the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan, it wouldn't be wrong to say they were cheated out by Korea. In Euro 2004, they got eliminated through goal difference and some last minute goals. In the 2006 World Cup, they bumped into a very inspired Zidane, just at the wrong time.

But,this may be the year in which history is changed. With a squad boasting of some of the world's top class players, there is every chance for them to fancy their chances at this year's European Championships. At goal, they have one of the best shot stoppers in their captain Iker Casillas. The amount of experience Puyol adds to the defence, that already has some of the young stars of the game in Ramos and Capdevilla makes the defence an all the more tough one to breach. In midfield they have Xavi and Iniesta, who have pushed the likes of a player of Fabregas' calibre to the bench. In Torres and Villa, they possibly have the best striker combination in the World at the moment. We saw last night, what this team can do, how fast they can hit opponents on counters, how sublime their passing can be, and just how determined this team is to finally deliver on such a big stage. Its high time the La Furia Roja deliver and this is that tournament. ¡Viva España!