¡Que Viva España!

That was fun!!!

After 44 years of disappointment, failure and bemusement, Spain finally conquered their demons, defeating Germany 1-0 in the Euro 2008 final.

Finally, Spain can exhale.

Finally, the best team who never won a Cup (save 1964’s Euro title) has a championship.

And look at the way they did it, playing a free-flowing, attacking style. They didn’t pack the box like the Greeks did in 2004 or wait for penalties like the Italians did in 2008.

Spain stuck to their guns, employing a system that hearkened back to the days of attacking football, making us all remember what made us fall for the game in the first place.

Yesterday, the party continued on the streets of the capital Madrid as the country welcomed back their footballing heroes.

“There isn’t a team in the world that plays with the touch and precision that we do,” departing coach Luis Aragones said after the team was received by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. “We achieved this triumph and if we continue with the same work ethic, we’ll achieve more trophies.”

The Spanish royal family congratulated each player individually before Zapatero lauded the team’s “talent, the work, the effort” that has made Spain “so proud.”

“You won with such clarity and conviction. You played a game that was spectacular and brilliant. It was real football,” said Zapatero, a lifelong FC Barcelona fan. “We are at the start of the best times of football for the national team … and for Spanish sport. You have given a great image of Spain in Europe and the world.”

The life of yesterday’s party had to be Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who told jokes and parked the crowd’s energy. One of his jokes lasted some four minutes, and hooked the crowd before he introduced the champions to the cheering crowd. It was the first time that Reina’s public speaking talents have been on show. To see a video of Reina’s performance, please click here.

And so ends a wonderful, magical Euro 2008 tournament.

Something tells me the good times aren’t over, though.
Spain’s just too good to be a one-hit wonder.

They’re wonderfully talented and still quite young. David Villa, David Silva and Fernando Torres are still on the right side of 27. Cesc Fabregas is 21! Sergio Ramos is only 22 and Captain Iker Casillas is just 27 (can you believe he’s so young??).

Midfield MVP Xavi will certainly be back. My choice for tournament MVP, naturalized citizen Marcos Senna will most certainly be back. How talented is this guy? He’s the glue that held this team together.

And don’t forget the talent that wasn’t on display in Austria/Switzerland … Mata, Krkic, Joaquin. The list goes on and on.

The Spanish team that took to the field for the final had an average age of just 26 and, form and injury permitting, should all be available for the 2010 World Cup.

Interesting factoid: 18 of Spain’s 23-man squad at Euro 2008 all play in La Liga, with the remaining five plying their trade in England’s fashionable Premier League. Hmm …

Two questions marks:

Who will the new coach be? Many say it’ll be former Real Madrid man Vicente del Bosque. Not a bad fit, in my opinion although I’d rather see someone like Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez take over.

Del Bosque will have a lot of work to do, though. Spain’s next competitive game comes in August in a friendly against Denmark. From there, it’s World Cup qualifying followed by preparation for the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa with games against the likes of Egypt, Iraq and the United States.

It should be very interesting to see how the reigning European champions react to not only a new coach, but also the scepter of being favorites. Del Bosque would do well not to tinker too much with this outrageously talented and settled Spanish squad.

The other question mark has to do with the defense. It’s still a bit shaky, with Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena manning the middle. I think we’ll see someone like Valencia’s Raul Albiol mature as the months go by and take over a spot in time. For now, the defense played like champions when it counted, so what can really be said about them?

So ends a magical ride through the European championships.

It’s been an extreme pleasure to write about the Euro 2008 champions Spain.
Thank you to everyone for reading and for your wonderful comments (more on that at the end of this post).

I even had the opportunity to spend some time in Spain during the tournament and although I would have liked to be there when they won it, at least I got to experience some of their joy when there.

If you’re interested, please follow me to my Valencia blog on the Offside, where I’ll continue to smack you over the head with my musings on everything Che.

I’ll make occasional visits here when I have the time, especially once the friendlies and World Cup qualifying start. So don’t think this is the last you’ll hear from me.

One final, important note:

I’m sure many of you have read the comments made on the posts by certain people pushing their delusional, racist agenda.

I apologize for the comments. I don’t know who is making these comments and although we’ve tried to block them, they keep coming back.

My best advice? Just ignore them.

Let me sound a little cliched here for a moment.

Football isn’t about racism or hatred. It’s about coming together to celebrate something we love. People from all over the world have come to this blog to express their admiration and love for the Spanish team, for the way they play, for the way they entertain us.

There are so many things more important in life than a game of football. When it comes right down to it, it’s a bunch of sweaty men kicking a ball around.

But it brings us joy, it brings us together, it makes us laugh and like Sunday, it makes us cry.

In that respect, it’s a beautiful thing. Why tarnish it with racist, hateful comments?

Worry about your health. Worry about your family. Worry about the environment and the energy crisis. Not about these ridiculous beliefs pushed by ignorant people …

While this victory on Sunday won’t topple secessionist, extremist feelings in Spain, for one day the nation celebrated as one. People in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Sevilla took to the streets as one, laughing, crying and yelling their love of the national team.

No one cared where someone was from or what color someone’s skin was. That’s the way it should be. That’s what something like football can do, even for one day.

Please ignore these comments. Please look at the bright side of the game, not the silly vitriol brought by someone with nothing better to do than wind people up.

It’s sick. But it’s also very sad. I feel sorry for people with nothing better to do.

VIVA España!!! I’ll see you all soon!!!