The Weekly Take, Issue 331: Don Andrés Calls Time on a Generational Career

One of the greatest to ever step onto a football pitch has called it a career after a legendary 23-year career. At a recent press conference, Andrés Iniesta announced his retirement following a career which included the following titles: four Champions Leagues, nine La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey titles, two European Championships, and of course, the 2010 World Cup in which the man from Fuentealbilla scored the only goal to land Spain’s only world title to date.

Iniesta’s story actually begins almost two years before he made his professional debut with Barcelona B in 2001. Back in 1999, Iniesta led his Barça under-15 team to victory in the Nike Premier Cup, a tournament for the junior divisions of competing football clubs. Iniesta scored the winning goal in the final and was named player of the tournament. After the final, Pep Guardiola, who was then playing for Barça and years later would coach Iniesta at Camp Nou, remarked to teammate and then-rising star Xavi that Iniesta would someday surpass them both. Guardiola’s words turned out to be prescient indeed.

It actually took Iniesta a while to become a regular in Barça’s starting line-up. Despite debuting for the Catalan powerhouse in the 2002-03 season when he was just 18, it wasn’t until the 2006-07 campaign - his fifth season at the club - when he would establish himself as a fixture within the starting 11. This also meant that Iniesta was on the bench as the Blaugrana beat Arsenal in the 2005-06 Champions League final; however, the absolute peak of his career - one at a level which very few footballers in history have ever reached - was just on the horizon.

Iniesta played a vital role in Spain’s 2008 European Championship victory - La Furia Roja’s first continental title in 44 years. Almost a year later, Iniesta scored the equalizing goal in stoppage time of the second leg of Barça’s controversial Champions League semifinal against Chelsea. While to this day, the circumstances of Barça’s victory continue to rankle with many due to the highly questionable officiating throughout the match, it can’t be denied that Iniesta did indeed step up and deliver when his team needed him most. Barça would go on to beat Manchester United in the final to clinch their and Iniesta’s second Champions League in four seasons.

The next year saw Iniesta’s ascension to the level of undeniable all-time great. Against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final, Iniesta scored the only goal of the match deep into extra time to bring the World Cup title to Spain for the first and so far only time. To this day, it’s also a commonly held viewpoint that Iniesta ought to have won the Ballon d’Or in 2010 over his Barça teammate Lionel Messi.

Two more Champions League titles followed in 2011 and 2015 as well as a back-to-back European Championship title with Spain in 2012. By the time Iniesta concluded his 16-year stint at Barça in 2018 when he left for J1 League club Vissel Kobe, he was regarded as Spain’s greatest footballer of all time and arguably the best player to have never won the Ballon d’Or.

There’s absolutely no question that Barça’s and Spain’s dynasties don’t happen without Iniesta. While Messi was filling up the nets and collecting bucketloads of individual honours and Xavi was lauded as the embodiment of Guardiola’s tiki-taka strategy itself, Iniesta served as the conduit between the two other pillars of Barça’s glory days. He was the pinnacle of the archetypal “midfield maestro” - on so many occasions he’d be the one behind it all, the one tying it all together and making it work, whether for club or country.

Such was the regard that Iniesta is held in that even Barça’s arch-rivals Real Madrid took to social media to release a statement honoring Iniesta’s legendary career. This was an almost unfathomable move; only a true legend like Iniesta could’ve prompted anything like that.

Andrés Iniesta has had an almost incomparable career. While he’s Spain’s most decorated footballer with 35 titles, even that massive number on its own seems almost dismissive of the true magnitude of his achievements. There’s a very strong case to be made that Iniesta is one of the 10 greatest players of all time as well as the best central midfielder to ever do it. Surely, the statue in front of Camp Nou will be coming any day now.

The Weekly Take, Issue 322: Again Backed by La Masia, Another Dominant Era Beckons

The 2024 Olympic football tournament culminated in host country France taking on Spain at the Parc des Princes. La Furia Roja’s under-23 squad emulated the success of their European Championship-winning senior counterparts by beating France 5-3 to clinch the gold medal for the second time. It was also Spain’s first time winning the gold outside home turf; their previous triumph was in Barcelona in 1992.

France got off to a hot start when Enzo Millot scored the opening goal in the 11th minute. Spain then responded with three goals in an 11-minute span: two from Fermín López before another from Álex Baena. They would take this 3-1 lead into the half-time break.

France pulled one back in the 79th minute after substitute Maghnes Akliouche finished off Michael Olise’s free kick. Then in stoppage time, Real Betis defender Juan Miranda fouled Arnaud Kalimuendo in the penalty area, setting up Jean-Philippe Mateta to make the resulting penalty. There was still one additional twist prior to extra time: Beñat Turrientes’ shot struck the crossbar, ensuring that an additional half-hour and change would be played.

Spain would then take over in extra time. Rayo Vallecano striker Sergio Camello, who had earlier entered the match as a substitute to replace Abel Ruiz, scored both of Spain’s extra-time goals to put the result beyond doubt and ensure that the home crowd wouldn’t get the result they’d been hoping for.

Following the senior team’s triumph at Euro 2024, this Olympic title by the under-23 team is clearly an ominous sign for the rest of world football. It must be kept in mind how relatively young their main squad still is. Couple that with the fact that the junior unit just claimed the Olympic gold medal and it becomes clear that for the next decade-plus, Spain are primed to remain a powerhouse of world football and a leading contender for multiple European Championships and World Cups.

A key point to note when looking at this under-23 Spain team has to be the influence of La Masia, Barcelona’s legendary youth academy. Of Spain’s starting 11 in the final, seven players were La Masia products. Similarly, many of the key players of the squad that recently won Euro 2024 such as Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, and Dani Olmo came through La Masia. If it hadn’t been already obvious, La Masia is far and away the single greatest youth academy in world football - and these recent achievements have just solidified its place as such.

This also bodes well for Barcelona. Over the years, Barça have always tried to lean on La Masia products as the foundation of their bids for La Liga and Champions League titles. This was never more evident than during their dynasty years spanning from the 2008-09 to 2014-15 season when they won three Champions Leagues, five league titles, and three Copa del Rey titles while - at least in the early portion under Pep Guardiola - revolutionizing football through the implementation of tiki-taka. The list of La Masia alumni of that era is truly staggering: Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Cesc Fàbregas, Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, just to name the most notable.

While it’s highly unlikely that the current crop will match the standard set by the greatest generation that La Masia has ever produced, the signs are nonetheless extremely promising. Barça are now well-positioned to win multiple league titles and perhaps even Champions Leagues over the next decade. Although the Catalan club have made the Champions League semifinals just once over the past nine seasons, this statistic might very well change before too long.

The absolute peak of both Spain’s and Barça’s dominance from 2008 to 2012 overlapped; both were built on the foundation that La Masia had set. What’s really striking about Spain’s victory at Euro 2024 is the fact that despite being clearly a cut above every other team except arguably Germany, it felt as though they always had another gear they could’ve gone to but never need to - simultaneously a truly frightening prospect for the rest of international football and a great sign for Barça in the time to come.

Spain and Barcelona at their peaks were arguably the greatest international and club football teams of all time. Though even approaching that status is obviously a tall order, La Masia has now put both of their current versions in extremely strong positions.

The Weekly Take, Issue 314: A Hot Start to the Quest for Four

Ever since winning their third continental title at Euro 2012, Spain have generally struggled in tournament play. Over the three World Cups and two European Championships since then, La Furia Roja have advanced beyond the round of 16 on just one occasion. Heading into Euro 2024, Spain were generally regarded as a potential dark horse pick capable of going deep but not necessarily likely to win an unprecedented fourth title.

That being said, Spain clearly showcased their title credentials in their opening Group B match, beating Croatia 3-0 with a dominant performance. All three goals were scored in the first half with Álvaro Morata opening the scoring in the 29th minute, this was soon followed by Fabián Ruiz extending Spain’s advantage. In first-half stoppage time, Dani Carvajal made it three to round off a 45 minutes that proved why Spain cannot be overlooked when it comes to being title contenders.

There should be no question that Spain have arrived at the tournament with a point to prove. This was an extremely impressive performance from almost every single member of Spain starting 11 - arguably Rodri and his surrendered penalty notwithstanding; even then, Unai Simón saved Bruno Petković’s spot-kick.

That, in fact, is a good place to start. Spain’s defensive unit, goalkeeper Simón included, turned in a clinical performance that will surely make any opposing attacking player think twice upon further viewing. Despite having a sizeable chunk of possession in the final third, there wasn’t anything Croatia could do to create a truly notable goalscoring opportunity in the second half. The Spanish backline of Carvajal, Robin Le Normand, Nacho, and Marc Cuccurella kept their Balkan opposition’s attacking threat stifled almost at all times. While it remains to be seen how they’ll hold up against more potent attacking threats in later rounds, this was certainly a good sign for the rest of the tournament.

Further up front, Lamine Yamal lived up to all the hype surrounding his debut in a major international tournament. At just 16, the Barcelona winger has just had a season in which he has clearly established himself as not only the future of the Catalan club as well as his national team, but before too long perhaps the present as well. It was from a cross sent in by Yamal from which Carvajal scored Spain’s third goal and throughout the entire match, Yamal posed a significant danger to Croatia’s defense. There’s every possibility that during this tournament, Yamal will cap off a truly remarkable season with a standout showing in Germany. To say that Yamal’s future is bright would be a colossal understatement.

From a tactical standpoint, Croatia played directly into Spain’s hands. As Croatia pushed forward, they ended up being left vulnerable at the back, allowing Spain to create goalscoring opportunities. Spain’s first goal was an example of this: it came off a counter-attack from a botched long ball forward by Croatia. Cucurella took possession and played it to Rodri who in turn tapped it to Fabián. Finally, Fabián put Morata through on goal; Morata duly finished it off. Sequences similar to this one did take place on multiple occasions during the match and could easily have resulted in further goals.

While it’s true that Croatia aren’t really regarded as contenders to win it all, this match clearly showed that Luis de la Fuente’s team can’t be written off by any means. Despite not having the sheer star power of France, England, or even Germany, this Spain team boasts a deep, cohesive squad that on their day can stand up against anyone. Perhaps the major thing that might hold them back would be their recent tournament history. However, it must also be kept in mind that in the majority of the tournaments to date, the title hasn’t gone to the team most favored to win it all.

The shadow of Spain’s legendary team of 2008-12 - perhaps the greatest international football team of all time - has continued to loom large over every Spain team since. However, this current team seems to have everything needed to finally emerge from that iconic squad’s shadow and craft a legacy of their own. Could that happen at this very tournament? Early signs are definitely promising.

The Weekly Take, Issue 262: A Nail-Biting Victory - But Questions Remain

The final of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League went down to the wire, with Spain prevailing over Croatia with a 5-4 penalty shootout victory after the match remained goalless at the conclusion of both regulation and extra time. La Furia Roja's win provided some degree of redemption after their shocking round of 16 shootout loss against Morocco at last year's World Cup.

Spain's rebuild following the aging and retirement of their iconic "golden generation" which won two European Championships and a World Cup from 2008 to 2012 is now just about complete; it can now be fairly clearly seen just how they will set up as they prepare for Euro 2024 in Germany.

Probably the most notable feature about Spain right now is their midfield. After a breakout Treble-winning season at Manchester City, Rodri has made the starting defensive midfield spot his own. Alongside him would ordinarily have been Pedri; however, the Barcelona midfielder was kept out of Spain's Nations League Final Four squad by a muscle injury. At the head of the "triangle" in the number 10 slot is Pedri's Barça teammate Gavi. What makes this midfield trio especially notable is the fact that Pedri is still only 20 while Gavi is 18; Spain's starters at central and attacking midfield could very well have already been settled for the next decade or even beyond. In addition to the starters, Spain's midfield is also extremely deep; they can call upon the likes of Mikel Merino, Fabián Ruiz, Sergio Canales, and Carlos Soler as backups if necessary.

A holdover from their dominant era over a decade ago, Spain continue to employ a possession-heavy playstyle with intense pressing. The match against Croatia highlighted this, with Spain dictating the tempo of the match almost from the opening kick-off. This is where Spain tend to be most in their element; the fact that the score was still 0-0 after 120 minutes was somewhat anomalous. This match somewhat echoed Spain's victory in the 2010 World Cup final which played out very similarly. Certainly, although almost all the players of that generation have since retired, its impact not only continues to permeate the current team but also evolve through the presence of Barça players such as Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati, and legendary full-back Jordi Alba; Barça's "tiki-taka" playstyle was the primary influence on the 2008-12 team's strategy. Although Barça no longer employ such tactics to their fullest extent, the lasting legacy is readily apparent for both club and country.

On the other hand, one key problem which Spain are already facing is their lack of options up front. Spain do not have a reliable goal threat. It should be evident by now that Álvaro Morata is not the answer at centre-forward. The question is, who else do they have? Fati? Pablo Sarabia? Rodrigo? None of those are exactly names that spark a great deal of confidence. The fact that Spain scored zero goals from 21 shots in the match against Croatia speaks volumes. Additionally, Spain do not have any prolific goalscorers at any other position. It must be kept in mind that a Nations League Final Four run is just two matches long; this is therefore likely unsustainable over an entire Euro campaign.

There is also the realistic possibility that Spain could simply end up being out-strategized at Euro 2024. As far as coaching at this level is concerned, Luis de la Fuente is a relative greenhorn despite having over a quarter of a century of experience in the dugout at lower levels. Although he may have come through the Nations League unscathed, it remains to be seen how he will handle facing off against the likes of Didier Deschamps, Hansi Flick, and Domenico Tedesco, among others.

While this Nations League victory is undoubtedly a positive step for Spain, there is still much uncertainty about their status as bona fide Euro 2024 title contenders. Although a fourth continental title next year is not out of the question by any means, it does appear to be a tall order at the moment, especially if they do not secure direct qualification from Group A. However, depending on how their younger players develop, World Cup 2026 or Euro 2028 could be more realistic title targets.

The Weekly Take, Issue 169: Regional Pride, International Renown, or Both?

Spain's under-23 team have advanced to the semifinals of the Olympic football tournament after scoring three goals in extra time to beat Côte d'Ivoire's junior team 5-2. Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Rafa Mir scored a hattrick after having come off the bench to lead Spain to their first appearance in the final four since 2000, when they reached the final.

Besides Mir, another of the standout performers in Spain's victory was Mikel Oyarzabal. The Real Sociedad winger was a constant threat to the Ivorian defense up front, scoring from the penalty spot in the 98th minute and also setting up Mir's third goal close to the end of extra time.

Last week, I mentioned that Oyarzabal, like Brazil and Everton striker Richarlison, is far too good a player for this tournament level. This fact was on full display against Côte d'Ivoire. Almost immediately from the opening whistle, it was evident that the Basque was simply a class above almost every other player on the field - his own teammates included.

Oyarzabal's performances in Tokyo come off the back of his appearance at Euro 2020. Although Oyarzabal entered  as a substitute in five of La Furia Roja's six matches at the continental tournament, he acquitted himself throughout and established himself as a likely future core piece for the Spanish national team.

If you recall, last week I mentioned that it might be time for Richarlison to seek a new challenge at another club befitting of his skill level. You might assume that I would say the same about Oyarzabal. However, I am hesitant to do so for two reasons.

The first reason is the fact that Real Sociedad are a club on the rise. They have finished in the top six of La Liga three times in the last five seasons and won the 2020 Copa del Rey. Having finished fifth last season, it's certainly possible that with Oyarzabal leading them, the Basque club can claim a top-four finish and the accompanying Champions League berth for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

Oyarzabal does have a solid supporting cast around him - Mikel Merino, Andoni Gorosabel, Alexander Isak, Adnan Januzaj, and David Silva, who has still been effective despite being long past his prime. The question, however, remains whether Real Sociedad can make the "leap". Depending on how this season goes, we might have to redefine Spain's "Big Three" of Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid, and Barcelona as a "Big Four" which would now include Sevilla. If Sevilla maintain their level of play from last season, it will be extremely difficult for Real Sociedad to break through and finish in the top four.

Last year, I said that there is a distinct possibility of Oyarzabal leaving the Anoeta. On paper, this would seem logical, especially if Real Sociedad again fail to make the Champions League. However, there is a second, much more sentimental reason why he might remain at Real Sociedad: regional pride.

In the Basque Country, regional identity is taken very seriously indeed - so much so that a thriving secessionist movement exists there. There is also a Basque Country football team which is not authorized by FIFA; Oyarzabal has played for this team in the past. Given the fact that Real Sociedad is close to a Champions League spot, he might consider the point that if he were to stay for the long hail and help Real Sociedad make it to the next level, he would undoubtedly go down as not only a club legend, but as a legend of Basque football.

That said, of course any player of Oyarzabal's calibre and age (he's 24) could easily go to a Champions League contender and fit in seamlessly. Certainly, there's many a top club which would seek his services. If Oyarzabal wants to chase not only Champions League titles, but also make big money and live in a glamorous city, he might very well bolt just as so many have done before him.

It is likely that ultimately, Oyarzabal will be forced to choose between international renown and regional pride. However, in the unlikely but magical event that everything falls into place exactly according to plan, Oyarzabal might very well end up with both.

The Weekly Take, Issue 8: A Fallen Giant’s Last Chance

During the recent round of international friendlies, one of the most highly-anticipated matches was the clash between Germany and Spain at Esprit Arena, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Thomas Müller and Rodrigo found the back of the net for Die Mannschaft and La Furia Roja respectively.

This was an encouraging result for Spain, because unlike Germany, they are not considered to be among the favourites to win the 2018 World Cup. What is notable, however, is the average age of the Spain starting eleven against Germany: over 28 years old. Four of their starters – aging legends Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué, Andrés Iniesta, and David Silva – are over the age of 30.

Hence, for many members of the Spain team, this will be their last chance to win a major international honour.

At the moment, Spain are a long way off from the legendary team that won two European Championships and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012. In their last two international tournaments, they were knocked in the first round of the 2014 World Cup and in the last 16 of the 2016 European Championships. It must be noted that in 2016, the European Championships expanded to 24 teams, so in any other year, Spain would have registered consecutive first-round exits after winning three straight tournaments.

But there appears to be a glimmer of hope, both for now and the future.

Players such as Lucas Vázquez, Dani Parejo, and Iago Aspas have emerged as solid contributors, despite only blossoming into international-level players at relatively later stages of their respective careers. They will serve as capable backups to Spain’s core of the likes of the four legends mentioned earlier, as well as players such as Diego Costa, Jordi Alba, and David de Gea.

These players’ recent improvements will deepen the Spain team, and this is important because bench depth is vital for any team contending for the World Cup.

However, even if, as is expected, Spain do not win the World Cup, they nevertheless have an exciting young core to build around for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Spain finished as runners-up in the 2017 European Under-21 Championship, and some of the players in that squad, such as Saúl Ñiguez, Héctor Bellerín, Iñaki Williams, Álvaro Odriozola, and Marco Asensio, look as if they may go on to have excellent careers, both for club and country.

However, there is one key question that has not been answered yet: will any of these promising youngsters go beyond being a solid, contributing player and reach superstar, or even all-time great status?

Unfortunately for Spain, even though these players appear to have productive careers ahead of them, it does not currently appear that any of them have a ceiling that high.

Historically speaking, a team needs at least one, and usually more, all-time superstars to win the World Cup. If none of Spain’s future core goes on to become a bona fide superstar, it will be next to impossible for them to win the 2022 World Cup.

As for the current core, as many know, it is full of some of the greatest players of the last decade, such as Iniesta, Ramos, Cesc Fàbregas, and Sergio Busquets, just to name a few.

However, all these players who played vital roles in Spain’s three tournament victories are now approaching the end of their fantastic careers. Hence, the coming World Cup will be their chance to elevate themselves to football immortality, in what will be the last international tournament for most, if not all of them.

The team will certainly want to send off these greats who have given so much to the national team in the best possible way – with a World Cup victory in July.

Having said all of this, how do I rate Spain’s chances in Russia this summer?

While I do think it is unlikely that they will go on to lift the World Cup, I cannot completely write them off. This Spain team has achieved too much to be completely ignored.

Though they may not have the depth of Germany, the young talent of France, or the cohesion of Brazil, because of the history their players have, Spain can never be overlooked in major tournaments.