Should Spain's youthful Euro 2024 success make them 2026 World Cup favorites?
Spain put the world on notice in Euro 2024, and not just because it won the tournament with a dramatic 2-1 victory over England in Sunday's final.
Rather, Spain's dominant showing throughout these Euros was powered by their two young wingers — 21-year-old Nico Williams, who scored the opening goal of Sunday's match, and 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, whose assist on Williams' goal gave him four in the tournament, which tied the record for most assists at a single European Championship tournament.
Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams link up for a BEAUTIFUL goal as Spain strikes first vs. England
That performance from such youth left FOX Soccer NOW's Melissa Ortiz in awe after the final whistle sounded in Spain's championship victory — and had her looking ahead to what Spain's young stars can do in the 2026 World Cup, hosted in North America.
"What's so admirable about the Spanish side is their prime, dominant performance throughout the entire tournament. From the group stage to the knockout stage through the semis to the final, they have been world-class. I know that the World Cup is two years away still, but what we've seen so far is a true masterclass from every line possible from the Spanish side, knowing how to deal with the pressure, knowing how to bring out the best in the young stars such as Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, or knowing how to lead whether that's with Alvaro Morata, the captain, or Dani Carvajal.
"We've got to applaud, we've got to bow down. This is an incredible performance that they've shown."
Spain won all seven of its matches, including all three in the "Group of Death," with the first two of those matches coming against Croatia and Italy. It then overcame upstart Georgia in the round of 16 before taking down loaded, star-studded Germany, France and England sides to emerge victorious — and leave Ortiz's FOX Soccer NOW co-host Wes Morgan similarly in awe.
"'Group of Death,' to go through that so easily, so dominant, that's when I think we started to pay attention to this Spain side as a force to be reckoned with," Morgan said. "It's not been an easy road to the final. Spain has been the best team in the tournament by quite far, quite a distance and deserved winners overall, definitely."
FOX Soccer NOW's Jimmy Conrad pointed out that a major trend in Euro 2024 was the emergence of young players such as Germany's Jamal Musiala, Netherlands' Xavi Simons and England's Kobbie Mainoo and Jude Bellingham. But no team embodied that youth movement more than the Spain side that had Williams and Yamal as its starting wingers.
"They had tremendous tournaments," Conrad said.
But while Williams and Yamal may be in the spotlight, Spain's dominance also comes from having an arsenal of players who are perfect fits for what coach Luis De La Fuente asks of them, as opposed to an England side with several stars who often have to adjust roles from their respective club teams when called into Gareth Southgate's squad.
I liked the fact that some maybe relatively unknown names to the general public … Dani Olmo, Fabian Ruiz, Marc Cucurella, I thought were excellent. You have all these players that are once they got their opportunity, they took it with both hands, and really performed at a high level."
While most Spain players play at well-known clubs, they often do not have starring roles at those clubs. Yamal is still finding his footing at Barcelona, Olmo is at Bundesliga mid-table club RB Leipzig, while Ruiz and Cucurella hardly get the spotlight on them at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, respectively. Williams spent last season at La Liga's Athletic Bilbao, though Barcelona is reportedly desperately trying to sign him and reunite him with Yamal on the club level.
Spain vs. England reaction: Spain pulls out gritty victory to become Euro Champs | UEFA Euro 2024
Then, of course, there is Rodri, who continued to burnish his credentials as perhaps the best midfielder in the world by winning Euro 2024 Best Player of the tournament.
And all four of Olmo, Cucurella, Ruiz and Rodri are right in their primes, setting Spain up well for 2026. Olmo and Cucurella are 26 years old, while Ruiz and Rodri are 28.
"I think that's what Luis De La Fuente has done so well in creating this roster that would balance out all of the individual strengths and weaknesses," Ortiz said. You just have to really give him credit because, his experience and his history dealing with the youth teams has really helped him build this team and bring in the youth, but with a great balance between the veterans, you know, the [prime] players and then also the youth players."
Yamal already wants his first taste of soccer on a global stage, telling reporters before the game he hoped Argentina would win the Copa América so he could face Lionel Messi, who he famously met as an infant, in the Finalissima next year.
But he may be biting off more than he can chew.
"That's what happens when you're underage," Ortiz said. "You say dumb things."
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