How has Spain changed since the World of 2022?

Today, it seems unbelievable, but in 2022, coach Louis Enrique was severely criticized by the Spanish media for his great faith in veteran Sergio Busquets and still very young talents, Gavi and Pedri.

It all started perfectly. Spain dominated the qualifying phase, winning all six matches, while Ferran Torres was the team's best scorer with four goals.

In the World opening match, “La Roonery” destroyed Costa Rica with a score of 7-0, where Ferran made it twice.

On that team, Rodri often played as the middle guard to create space for Busquets.

But then the problems started. After his tie to Germany, Spain was suddenly defeated by Japan, despite total ball control.

The criticism of Enrique increased over the absence of a literal attacker and very cautious game style.

The same story was repeated against Morocco in the 1/8th phase of the final. Spain maintained over 75 percent of its possession but created very few dangerous cases. Finally, the Moroccans triumphed after the penalty, while the Spaniards failed to achieve any blow from the white dot.

Enrique's team was accused of sterile play and excessive circulation of the ball without concrete effect on the attack. The removal from Morocco was considered the end of a cycle.

Luis de la Fuente Revolution

After Enrique's departure, the Spanish federation gave direction to Luis de la Fuentes, the coach who had successfully worked on Spain's chain teams.

He was closely acquainted with the younger generation of football players and brought on the team such names as Michael Merino, Martin Zubindi, Daniel Vivian and Michael Oyarzabal.

He was also among the first to trust his outstanding talent, Lamine Yamal.

Before Euro-2024, Spain was not considered an absolute favourite, while Rodri was viewed as the only highest-level star.

However, De la Fuente built an aggressive, modern and much more vertical team in the game.

The midfield became the team's strongest point thanks to names such as Pedri, Fabian Ruiz, Danny Olmo, Rodri, Zubimendi and Merino, giving the coach multiple alternatives, Telegraph reports. Periscope.

A crucial role was also played by Michael Oyartzabal, who scored the winning goal in the Euro-2024 final and helped solve Spain's long-standing problem in the centre of the attack.

Meanwhile, Alvaro Morata remained the leader of the team, contributing not only to field presentations but also to its impact on the dressing rooms.

Lamine Yamal erupted on the international stage, becoming Euro-2024's best assister, while his supergloy towards France is now considered one of the ike moments of the tournament.

Due to disappointment with favorites for title

The transformation of Spain has been remarkable. From March 2023 to June 2025, “La Roonery” did not lose any official matches, confirming the return of world football superpowers.

Already, with a perfect combination of new experience and talent, Spain is considered one of the key candidates to win the World Cup and continue its new era of success. /Periscope