It’s official. Spain are world champions. Not only did they dethrone Lionel Messi and defending champion Argentina, but they capped off one of the most complete performances of the FIFA World Cup with a disciplined defense and relentless consistency.
Spain’s title run was about more than making history.
La Roja relied on disciplined defending and clinical finishing to navigate a gauntlet of elite competition. They eliminated Kylian Mbappé’s France, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and, ultimately, Lionel Messi’s Argentina team to lift the World Cup trophy.
FOX Sports’ World Cup Now panel of Peter Crouch, Kasper Schmeichel and Maurice Edu praised Spain’s dominant World Cup run. They all agreed that La Roja made every elite opponent look ordinary and at times, even amateurish.
“Spain has made the teams that we thought were favorites look human, right?” Edu said. “They had a similar kind of impact in today’s performance. “They made them [Argentina] look amateurish for large spells at this game.”
Spain’s World Cup title on Sunday was its first since 2010, ending a 16-year championship drought. More importantly, it may be just the beginning for La Roja, which is led by 19-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal and features a roster with an average age of around 26.
“This is a dangerous team that can be dangerous for a long time,” Schmeichel said. “They’ve grown up in this system and they have young players. They have a way of playing. An identity and it’s clear all the way through. If they continue being this well drilled, there’s nothing that can stop them for quite a while.”
Spain’s defense was one of the tournament’s biggest storylines and much of the credit belongs to goalkeeper Unai Simón. Spain conceded just one goal throughout the World Cup, the fewest ever by a team that went on to win the tournament.
“Spain dominated that game completely and dominated this World Cup,” Crouch said. “Conceding one goal and winning a World Cup? They’ve never been in trouble at any point and thoroughly deserve to be champions.”
Spain didn’t just win a World Cup. They created a legacy. The way this team dominated throughout the tournament will be remembered for years, and Yamal lifting the trophy after defeating Messi makes for a true passing-of-the-torch moment.
“They’ve been superior in every aspect, but obviously, football is more than just tactics,” Schmeichel said. “There’s a lot of emotion in it. There’s a lot of mentality in it. The team that was the best team in the tournament came out on top.”
