We’re already through the group stage! Millions of fans around Europe and the world are benched in front of a TV ready to almost choke on food and drink at every chance of a goal. Following a first uneventful couple of games, Spain finally found back to its goal-scoring self against Slovakia. The competition called the UEFA European Championship, named the UEFA Nation’s Cup until 1968, was first established in 1960 and has been held every four years since then. Well, except for this year as the competition was delayed by a year due to the ongoing pandemic. Spain has participated in ten of these championships plus the current one. During this time Spain has won the competition three times, in 1964 as a host country as well as in 2008 and 2012. But, in Spain, club football often receives far more attention from the home crowd compared to the national team. From British foreign workers brought the game to the Iberian Peninsula in the late 1800s, the club teams have held hero status, while the national team at times has struggled to fill the stadiums.
Football interest is strong
Even the least interested in football have probably realized that Spain has club teams that are among Europe’s and the world’s very best. Players from the two most famous clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have for years formed the core of the Spanish national team. It may seem strange then that the national team for a long time struggled for results.
In a survey from 2014, 67% of the Spaniards surveyed say they are interested in football and that they have a favorite club. Three-quarters of them watch their favorite team play as often as possible. Spain has almost one million active football players (both women and men) and more than 20,000 clubs. The most popular clubs among fans are, not surprisingly, Real Madrid (which almost 40% of those surveyed follow), Barcelona (with just over 25%) and Atletico Madrid (16%). Other clubs such as Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and Sevilla are supported by around 3.5% of the population.
Support from fans and the public is often referred to in football as the team’s 12th player – and the Spanish national team is traditionally not as used to such “reinforcements” as the club teams are. Of course, there are people cheering the national team on (and perhaps increasingly so), but Spain also has football supporters who simply hope that the national team does badly, and others who do not care if they win or lose.
In recent years, however, something has happened regarding support for the Spanish national team. Some feel that the rivalry between players from the main opponents Real Madrid and Barcelona must be given much of the blame for the national team’s modest performance. So, choosing players from more of the top clubs in La Liga and amongst those who play abroad have perhaps helped alleviate this rivalry “problem”. For instance, with Atlético Madrid winning La Liga this year, Villareal winning the Europa League final against Manchester United and other teams performing well against “the big two”, there should be plenty of players to choose from. The team selection (along with the reserve team that was prepared due to fears of the coronavirus) seems to show this.
In addition, pre-pandemic, steps were taken by the national team to increase the interest and audiences around Spain. Until the qualification for the European Championships in 1996, all international matches in Spain were played in Seville, but from then on such matches are played on courses spread all over the country. This year’s Spanish group stage games, however, were again all played in Seville.
Football saved by British foreign workers
It was the British who made sure that football in its modern form came to Spain. Towards the end of the 19th century there were in fact significant colonies of British foreign workers in Spain. Many of them had found work at shipyards or in mines. British sailors often sought out compatriots in Spain when they had shore leave, and football was a popular leisure activity. And Spanish locals quickly became interested in football.
The first official football game in Spain was supposedly played in Seville on March 8, 1890. Whether the match is entitled to the title “first official football match on Spanish soil” or not, may be up for discussion, but the line-up provides an impression of how important the British was for the emergence of football on the Iberian Peninsula: because, with the exception of two players on each team, all the players were British.
Both Catalonia and the Basque Country were areas with many British foreign workers around the year 1900. Catalonia was Spain’s most industrialized region and therefore attracted many job seekers from other countries. In Barcelona, football quickly gained a foothold, so it is not without reason that local Catalonian teams are among the very best to this day. Athletic Bilbao is another example. It was founded by British shipyard workers and miners as well as Basque youths who had returned home after studies in the UK.
Euros 2020 / 2021
This year’s task for Spain’s national team is to win its fourth European Championship. Spain is not a favorite this year but has a good team with lots of younger players following a generational shift. Following the fairly unconvincing games with lots of ball possession against Sweden (no goals) and Poland (one goal each), the Spanish team “woke up” and won a convincing 5-0 victory against Slovakia (helped by two own Slovakian goals).
Monday June 28 is the day of Spain’s first knock out stage game. Their opponents are Croatia. We will cheer the Spanish team on! Enjoy the beautiful game!
The Find Your Spain team!
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