Everyone plays football, but it is Spain that wins

The UEFA European Football Championship has named the main hero

Spain national football team celebrating the UEFA European Championship title for the record fourth time REUTERS

The Dinamo Stadium was buzzing with excitement. It turned out to be a hot Sunday evening in Minsk in Spanish-English tones — thousands of fans gathered at the major arena of the country to watch on a huge screen the final showdown of the Old World’s championship, in which the national teams of Spain and England locked horns.  
The competitions of the best European teams have left a double impression. Sometimes the actions of the main football maestros brought sadness and melancholy, yet at times they made you want to dance with delight — such a bright, dynamic and unpredictable game was demonstrated by the teams. However, all of those emotions invariably passed through an internal filter since, one way or another, one had to compare the football festival in Germany with the events on the Belarusian fields. And let us be honest — Belarusian football players, unlike grain growers, are far from being top-quality strikers.
Along with that, the elite division of European national football teams has not changed throughout the years in the least. It is true that the Georgians made a lot of noise, the Swiss and Austrians tried to surprise, the Turks did their best to come closer to the medals, the Slovaks and Slovenes looked good at times. However, all their efforts did not pay off, and ultimately, at the crucial moment, the winners were those who had always won before. Despite the boring and insipid performance by the French team, they still managed to get to the semifinals. The Dutch have one of the weakest generations in the last 20 years, and they are still in the top 4. The British team is a separate topic for conversation — the game of this star squad at the European Championship was bland like their morning porridge, and incomprehensible like an eccentric English humour. Yet they made it to the finals with pain and misery, and were very close to tormenting the Spaniards with their anti-football. But the Spanish team endured and came out victorious, having proved once again that their football is the most correct today: spectacular, fun, daring and active — the one that makes you want to live. The Spaniards, having won 2:1 in a tense and nerve-racking match, have become four-time European champions and set a new tournament goal record on the way to the title. Spain scored as many as 15 goals beating the achievement that previously belonged to the French led by legendary and unique Michel Platini — back in 1984, they scored 14 goals.   

Spain’s records at Euro 2024

• The current men’s UEFA European Championship title is the fourth for Spain (1964, 2008, 2012 and 2024).
• During the championship, the Spaniards won seven victories, beating Italy, Croatia, Albania, Georgia, Germany, France and England.
• The Spanish national team has become the only Euro 2024 team that won all the matches of the group stage.
• Luis de la Fuente’s team scored 15 goals during the tournament, which has become a record in the history of the European Championships.
• 17-year-old Spain’s forward Lamine Yamal has become the best young player of Euro 2024 and the youngest winner of the European Championship in history.
• Spanish national team midfielder Rodri was recognised as the best player of Euro 2024.

By Sergei Kanashits