How Spain 'recaptured The Spirit Of 2010' In Its Run To The World Cup Final

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If thing happened once, it tin hap again. That’s benignant of what Yogi Berra was getting astatine erstwhile he said “it’s for illustration deja vu each complete again.”

Berra, nan precocious Yankee catcher and erstwhile New Jersey’s unofficial writer laureate, spent astir of his life wrong stepping region of East Rutherford, N.J., wherever history could repetition itself each complete again successful Sunday’s World Cup last betwixt Spain and Argentina. And that makes his words recently relevant.

Argentina and Lionel Messi, nan reigning champions, will beryllium seeking to go nan first to repetition successful 64 years while Spain will beryllium playing successful nan title crippled for conscionable nan 2nd clip ever. And nan similarities to its first trip, successful 2010, are uncanny.

Sixteen years agone Spain became conscionable nan 2nd reigning European champion to triumph a World Cup. It will participate Sunday’s crippled arsenic nan reigning European champion.

In nan run-up to nan 2010 World Cup, Spain ran disconnected a 35-game unbeaten streak, which matched nan longest successful history astatine nan time. La Roja will participate Sunday’s crippled pinch a 37-game unbeaten streak, which matches nan existent longest streak successful history.

And that 2010 squad was known for an absence of ego and a extent of character, a blue-collar postulation of quiet superstars built astir a halfway of Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández and Carles Puyol, players who emphasized humility, unity and selflessness.

This team? It’s nan same.

“We’re 1 large family,” halfway backmost Pau Cubarsí said successful Spanish.

A family that has already achieved its goal, according to coach Luis de la Fuente. So while Argentina whitethorn beryllium emotion nan unit of chasing World Cup history, De la Fuente said his squad is playing pinch location money

“I don’t judge successful nan thought that finals are location to beryllium won. They’re location to beryllium enjoyed,” he said. “What’s to travel could beryllium nan icing connected nan cake.”

Of people a barroom is thing without nan icing. But past Spain hasn’t had to abstracted joyousness from occurrence successful this World Cup, enjoying an unbeaten tally to nan last whose only blemish has been a tournament-opening tie pinch Cape Verde.

That was nan first of six cleanable sheets for Spanish keeper Unai Simón, though it’s really been a group effort pinch Simón facing an mean of conscionable 2 shots connected extremity a game.

“This squad ne'er ceases to amaze me,” De la Fuente said. “The scope for betterment is endless. It was a labour of love, a process. It was astir reaching nan important infinitesimal successful nan champion imaginable shape.”

De la Fuente, 65, whose only elder world quality arsenic a subordinate came successful nan 1988 Olympics, coached Spain’s U-23 squad to a metallic badge successful nan Tokyo Games successful 2021 past took complete nan nationalist squad a twelvemonth later, aft it collapsed retired of a 2nd consecutive World Cup successful nan information of 16.

De la Fuente spent astir 2 decades coaching astatine nan younker level, including 9 years pinch Spain’s U19 and U21 nationalist teams. But 7 months aft taking complete nan elder team, he led later Spain to its first UEFA Nations League title and a twelvemonth aft that it won its first Champions League title successful much than a decade. La Roja has mislaid conscionable doubly successful 48 games nether De la Fuente, who has nan highest winning percent of immoderate man who has managed much than 9 games for Spain.

Given his background, De la Fuente trusts young players — pinch an mean property of 26.7, Spain has nan sixth-youngest roster successful nan World Cup — and his starting lineup includes 2 teenagers successful Cubarsí and guardant Lamine Yamal. The halfway of nan squad — Simón, Mikel Merino, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Mikel Oyarzabal, Fabián Ruiz — are players he coached to European youth-level championships and ones he has known for half their lives.

That has fixed nan squad a level of familiarity and spot that goes some ways.

“This squad ne'er ceases to amaze me,” nan coach said. “The scope for betterment is endless. It was a labour of love, a process. It was astir reaching nan important infinitesimal successful nan champion imaginable shape.”

And they’ve gotten there, said correct backmost Pedro Porro, different merchandise of De la Fuente’s younker teams, by each pulling successful nan aforesaid direction.

“From nan very first time we sewage present — not conscionable me, but nan full squad — we’ve been moving toward a communal goal,” Porro said. “That’s portion of nan process. There are nary excuses.”

That, too, is thing De la Fuente brought to nan job, though it’s not an original conception for Spain. It’s much for illustration deja vu each complete again.

“We are ordinary, generous people,” nan coach said. “We’ve recaptured nan tone of 2010.”