Group H - Spain

Thanks to the Michael Owen of the Midwest for contributing to this post.

Group H

Spain

Switzerland

Chile

Honduras

Nickname: La Furia Roja (The Red Fury)

Colors: Red and Gold

Current World Ranking: 2 (they had been ranked 1^st in the world from July 2008 until just recently when they relinquished the spot to Brazil, based largely on injury concerns within the team)

Manager: Vicente del Bosque

Bosque is a former players who won five league titles with Real Madrid then later made a name for himself as the manager of the same club from 1999 to 2003, overseeing their most successful spell of the modern era while winning two league titles, two Champions League titles, and a whole host of other trophies. He took over the national team job after the previous manager, Luis Aragones, retired after winning the 2008 European Cup. Bosque has adopted an approach that takes advantage of the style of play the national team had been using for years, while strategically tinkering with little things here and there based on the players available to him. He is greatly respected among other managers and adored by his players.  

History: Spain has definitely been around the block a few times and has long been thought of as big underachievers on the world stage.  They have qualified for the World Cup 12 times and are the only team to reach #1 on the FIFA World Ranking list without ever reaching the Finals.  However, with their win at the 2008 UEFA European Championship and a 35 game undefeated record (a world record they share with Brazil) between November 2006 to June 2009 (which the US broke by beating them in the Confederations Cup last summer)  Spain is hoping they can turn around their luck and make a lasting impression at this year’s competition. 

Soccer is THE national pastime in Spain and has been around since 1913.  They first qualified for the World Cup in 1934 where they made it to the quarter-finals.  During the 1950 World Cup they achieved their best finish ever with fourth place.  The years following 1950 came with ups and downs.  They qualified for the 1962 World Cup but didn’t make it past the first round.  They finally achieved success by winning the 1964 European Championships but couldn’t continue that success for the 1966 World Cup as they again didn’t make it past the first round.  Spain wouldn’t qualify for another World Cup until 1978 but they have participated in every World Cup since then. 

Spain held a perfect qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup winning 10 straight games and taking maximum points from Bosnia & Herzegovinia and Turkey.  They will face Chile, Honduras and Switzerland in their World Cup group and if past history is any indications (they have never lost to any of these countries) Spain should get a good start to the tournament. 

Players: Ladies, if you’re lamenting David Beckham’s absence from the World Cup, if you’ve never watched soccer before and need an excuse to get into it, or if you’re tired of waking up next to your husband every morning, then this is the team for you. Not only is this squad full of dreamy, olive-skinned, Spanish speaking playboys, they can actually play soccer too. The core of this team were all a bunch of snot-nosed, early-20-something, unknown pretty boys at the last World Cup where they were seriously impressive with their speed, ball control, an unparalleled goal scoring ability. They grew into a bunch of world-class pretty boys for the ’08 Euros where they won it all once again with speed, ball control, and goal scoring. And now they’re some of the best pretty boys the world of soccer has ever seen and they haven't slowed down, the control the ball is better than ever, and the only thing they score better than goals is women (Zing!).

Aside from being beautiful, they’re all still young (28 and younger, by and large), they have two of the top 5 keepers in the world (Iker Casillas and Pepe Reina), including the best (Casillas), they all play in Spain (Except Torres, Fabregas, and Pepe Reina), and they all play for Real Madrid or Barcelona (13 out of 20). That means they all play they exact same style of soccer, and it’s beautiful and effective.

Fernando Torres – Striker

In Spain he’s known as El Nino – “The Kid”. In my house he’s known as “ELLLLLLLLL NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINOOOOOOOOOOOO! I FUCKING LOVE YOU!!!!!!!” every time he scores a goal for my team, Liverpool. Sadly, his days at Anfield may be limited but my heart can’t bear to talk about that right now, so instead I’ll just focus on my love for him.

Torres came up through the academy with his hometown club, Atletico Madrid, where he debuted for the senior team in 2001. He became the youngest captain of the club at the age of 19 and scored a total of 75 goals in 174 appearances before transferring to Liverpool in England in 2007 for a record transfer fee. Since arriving at Liverpool he has done one thing - score goals. That and spend a lot of time on the injured list, but when he's on the pitch, rest assured he will score some goals. In his first season he became the first Liverpool player since the legend Robbie Fowler to score 20 goals in a single season. He then became the fastest player to 50 goals for the club. 

He debuted for Spain in 2003 and has since featured in 3 major tournaments for them - the 2004 Euros, 2006 WC, and 2008 Euros. He scored three goals in the '06 Cup, tying him with striking partner David Villa for most goals. He scored the winner in the '08 Euros against Germany to help Spain lift their first major tournament trophy. In last summer's Confederations Cup he scored a hat trick within 17 minutes against New Zealand. All in all he's scored 23 goals in 71 appearances and he's still just 26. 

Torres is coming off an injury riddled season and just had arthroscopic knee surgery a few weeks ago. He's expected to be in top form for the tournament though he's still listed as doubtful for their opening match. No worries though, Spain has someone to fill his shoes...

David Villa – Striker

Villa and Torres have a lot in common, not least of which is their nicknames. Villa is known as El Guaje, which is Asturian for "The Kid." He also scores lots and lots of goals. He started with Spanish club Sporting de Gijon where he scored 40 goals in 85 appearances before moving to Real Zaragoza where he scored 39 goals in 92 appearances. In 2005 he joined Valencia where he scored 129 goals in 225 matches. Just a few weeks ago Villa made a transfer to Barcelona for 40 million Euros where he will get to play with world class talent for the first time in his career, and al bets are off for how many goals he can amass there. 

According to Wikipedia, statistically speaking Villa has been the most prolific goal scorer in the world between 2005-09, scoring 156 goals. 

He debuted for Spain in 2003 where he has gone on to score 37 goals in 56 appearances, including 3 goals in the '06 Cup and he was the leading goal scorer in the '08 Euro with 4, even though he missed half the tournament with an injury. Just to be clear, when he wears the Spanish jersey he scores a goal at a rate greater than once every other match. That is remarkable. So while the Villa/Torres striking partnership is collectively known as "The Kids" they are anything but children when it comes to scoring goals. The only question at this tournament will be, which one of them will score more?

Xavi Hernandez – Midfielder

Known and just Xavi, he is a world-class midfielder for both Spain and FC Barcelona and some claim as the best midfielder in the game today.  He has played for Barcelona since he was 11 working his way up through the youth system.  He has been Barcelona’s playmaker since 1998 and has won 5 League Titles and 2 Champions League titles with the club.

He made his national team debut in 2000 against the Netherlands and has been a regular player in the squad ever since.  He went to the both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup with Spain where he played in all three matches and was named Man of the Match against Ukraine.  During the 2008 Euro’s Xavi played a vital role in the teams overall win and was named Player of the Tournament by UEFA.  At age 30 he is one of the older players on the team but he brings a wealth of experience and still posses the skills to be a threat on the pitch.  He will definitely be a key player to Spain’s success in the World Cup. Plus, he has the best blowout hairstyle east of the Jersey Shore.

Cesc Fabregas – Midfielder

Fabregas is one of the few Spanish players from the national team that plays outside of Spain.  He currently plays and captains English Premier League team Arsenal but he came through the Barcelona youth academy and has been recently linked to returning to the Spanish club.  Fabregas has been with Arsenal since 2003 and despite Arsenal’s lack of major silverware Fabregas has carried the team by breaking records and earning the captain’s armband at only age 21. 

Fabregas featured for the national team in 2006 breaking the record for youngest player capped and even got picked for the 2006 World Cup squad.  At the 2006 World Cup Fabregas became the youngest Spanish player to feature in a World Cup game.  He again featured in the 2008 Euro’s where he was issued the #10 jersey (which is a pretty important jersey number in soccer terms) and he scored his first international goal against Russia.  He has been a key player for Spain when coming off the bench or starting with the first 11.  Spain has a very talented midfield so while Fabregas may only feature as a substitute he has great passing ability and pace to catapult Spain to the top.  Let’s just hope he can stay healthy; he’s just recently recovered from a broken leg. 

Andres Iniesta – Midfielder

Another Spanish midfielder who is teammates with Xavi at Barcelona and who also came through the Barcelona youth academy.  Despite being pegged as playing in Xavi’s shadow Iniesta has put in key performances with Barcelona helping them win 4 League Titles and 2 Champions League Titles.  In 2009 Iniesta was included as a candidate for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award and the World Player of the Year.  Ultimately he didn’t win, but just to be included among the nominees was a huge honor. 

Iniesta made his national team debut in 2006 and was a surprise pick for the 2006 World Cup squad.  Beyond the World Cup he continued to impress for Spain and was even put in a winger role due to his adaptability on the pitch.  He played an important role for Spain during the 2008 Euro’s helping the team qualify and was named Man of the Match during the semi-final against Russia.  He has faced some recent injury problems but all reports say he will be fit for the World Cup, which bodes well for Spain. 

Sergio Ramos – Defender

A natural center back, this 24-year-old has made his career playing right back and is known for his surging runs down the right flank to set up goals or score himself, which he does with remarkable frequency for a defender. He got his start playing for Sevilla in la Liga but after three seasons was transferred to Real Madrid, becoming the most expensive teenager in Spanish history. He's been vital to the team's success over the past few years and was named one of the team's 4 vice-captains at the start of this past season. He debuted for the national team at the age of 18, which at the time made him the youngest ever until Cesc Fabregas debuted a few months later. Since then he's been the regular right back of choice having played in the '06 Cup, '08 Euros, and '09 Confederations Cup. He's quick with excellent ball control so look for him to be on the offensive half of the pitch as much if not more than the defensive.  

Gerard Pique – Central Defender

Pique got his start in the Barcelona youth system before moving to Manchester United for 4 seasons where he won a handful of league titles and a Champions League title. A year later he transferred back to Barcelona where he won a league title and another Champions League title, this time over his former team, Manchester United. At just 23 years-of-age he has become the foundation of Barcelona's defense and while he only debuted for the national team in February of 2009, he has also become the central defender of choice there as well. 

Iker Casillas – Goalkeeper – Captain

Casillas is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers in the game and currently plays for Real Madrid where he has led the team to 4 League Titles and 3 Champions League Titles.  He has been with Real Madrid since he was 9 years old starting in the youth system and working his way up to being the most capped goalkeeper of all time for the club at only 27 years old. 

Casillas debuted for the national team at age 19 and was named to the squad going into the 2000 Euro Competition.  He didn’t appear in any of the 2000 Euro games but by 2002 World Cup he earned the starting position due to the number one goalkeeper getting injured by dropping a bottle of aftershave on his foot.  Casillas has been the starting goalkeeper for Spain ever since and is the 2^nd most capped goalkeeper in history with 103 appearances.  He is the last line of defense and with his agility in goal it is hard to get the ball by him. 

Prediction: Spain should cruise through this group without any trouble, though the US proved last summer what happens if Spain gets complacent. The real question is, how far can they go in the tournament. Their talent and their world ranking would suggest that they can and should win it all, and I agree. Behind England this is my second choice team to hoist the trophy. They proved they could win the big one at the 2008 Euros. Now they need to prove they can win a tournament that includes the likes of Brazil and Argentina.