England travel to west Berlin on Sunday to take on Spain in the Euro 2024 final – already a mammoth task. But there’s one stat that truly puts the challenge in context.
Gareth Southgate has once again led his charges to a Euros final. A 2-1 victory over the Netherlands, sealed by a stoppage-time winner from substitute Ollie Watkins, booked the Three Lions place at the Olympiastadion for the showdown with Spain.
La Roja didn’t enter the tournament as favourites but quickly established themselves as the team to beat, with formidable widemen in Nico Williams and the 16-year-old Lamine Yamal adding to a commanding midfield hosting the likes of Rodri and Fabian Ruiz. A tough task lies ahead for the Three Lions on 14 July; this stat shows the Spanish know a thing or two about handling the pressure of a final.
Over the last two decades, Spain haven’t lost any final of a major international competition they’ve got to. No, really.
An era of dominance saw them lift the Euros twice in 2008 and 2012 – brushing aside Germany and Italy respectively – with the small matter of the 2010 World Cup sandwiched in between. Of course, they collected it after defeating the Netherlands in Johannesburg.
Spanish superiority doesn’t end there, however, as the same record also extends to the women’s national team. They famously knocked England down at the final hurdle in the 2023 World Cup in Sydney, a first-half Olga Carmona strike delivering the damage on that occasion.
That’s probably enough, right? Wrong. The Spaniards’ mastery of the big occasion stretches into the domestic game, with no Spanish side in the men’s game having lost a major European final to foreign opposition in the last 20 years.
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Year
Competition
Spanish winner
Loser
2004
Europa League
Valencia
Marseille
2006
Champions League
Barcelona
Arsenal
2006
Europa League
Sevilla
Middlesbrough
2007
Europa League
Sevilla
Espanyol
2009
Champions League
Barcelona
Manchester United
2009
Club World Cup
Barcelona
Estudiantes
2010
World Cup
Spain
Netherlands
2010
Europa League
Atletico Madrid
Fulham
2011
Champions League
Barcelona
Manchester United
2011
Club World Cup
Barcelona
Santos
2012
European Championship
Spain
Italy
2012
Europa League
Atletico Madrid
Athletic Bilbao
2014
Champions League
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
2014
Club World Cup
Real Madrid
San Lorenzo
2014
Europa League
Sevilla
Benfica
2015
Champions League
Barcelona
Juventus
2015
Club World Cup
Barcelona
River Plate
2015
Europa League
Sevilla
Dnipro
2016
Champions League
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
2016
Club World Cup
Real Madrid
Kashima Antlers
2016
Europa League
Sevilla
Liverpool
2017
Champions League
Real Madrid
Juventus
2017
Club World Cup
Real Madrid
Gremio
2018
Champions League
Real Madrid
Liverpool
2018
Club World Cup
Real Madrid
Al-Ain
2018
Europa League
Atletico Madrid
Marseille
2020
Europa League
Sevilla
Inter Milan
2021
Europa League
Villarreal
Manchester United
2022
Champions League
Real Madrid
Liverpool
2022
Club World Cup
Real Madrid
Al-Hilal
2023
Women’s World Cup
Spain
England
2023
Europa League
Sevilla
Roma
2024
Champions League
Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund
It’s a huge record for Southgate’s men to overturn against opposition that already look a strong competitor on paper. There’s a big job to do on Sunday. That’s without considering the demons at home to exorcise, namely the crushing defeat on penalties to Italy on home soil in 2021.
A huge task lies ahead, as a whole nation watches on, willing the Three Lions to lift their first major silverware since 1966. If the Spanish’s track record in finals is anything to go by, you can be sure they won’t make it any easier.
