SPAIN

music: Gipsy Kings-Djobi Djoba

How is it that a country with one of the best domestic leagues in the World (La Liga) which features the Team of the Century (Real Madrid) produces some world class talent has so few major international titles?

That is the plight of Spanish football. The domestic side of things is on par with anyone in the world. Great teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, who get together twice a year to play in one of the true superclassicos in all of football, Deportivo La Coruna and others make the Spanish League one of the greatest in the world, attracting top notch players like Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Hugo Sanchez, and even the US' Tab Ramos from all over the globe.

Internationally, the Spaniards have been very disappointing but after capturing Euro2008 look like they maybe laying those ghosts to bed. It's not like they don't have the talent. Players like Raul, Valeron and Luis Enrique, Fernando Torres, David Villa the popular Pep Guardiola are all or were world class players but for some reason, Spain has never gotten it done on the biggest stage. They won the 1964 European title in front of their home fans but a 4th place finish in 1950 and 3 quarterfinal finishes mark the limit of their progress in the World Cup.

Emilio Butragueno is one of best players in Spanish
history, having scored 4 times in a World Cup Match
against Denmark in 1986 and winning several championships
with Real Madrid (worldcuparchive.com)

Spain's all time leading score, Raul.
(Ultimate Soccer Gallery)

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