How the Olympics Set the Stage for Spain’s Win in Euro 2024

Spain won Euro 2024 by playing incisive offensive soccer in a competition where several of the top teams struggled with jumbled performances.

Spain defeated Croatia, Italy, Germany, France, and England to win Euro 2024, even though they had to win every single game. With 15 goals, Spain has scored more goals in a European Championship than any other team.

La Roja isn’t a team full of household names, but it does have one of the future greats in 17-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal.

Spain had the best squad, not necessarily the greatest players, which is why they won the tournament.

And head coach Luis de la Fuente laid the groundwork for that squad at the youth level, in Italy for the 2019 Under-21 Championships, and in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics.

When Spain faced Brazil in the Yokohama Olympics gold medal match, Mikel Oyarzabal came to the far post to volley in an equalizer. In extra time, Brazil would go on to win the match 2-1. However, Oyarzabal would score for Spain in a final three years later.

This time, in the 86th minute of the Euro 2024 in Berlin, the Real Sociedad forward timed his move flawlessly and hammered the ball past Jordan Pickford of England to win the cup for Spain.

Three players from that Olympic team were included in Spain’s starting eleven in Berlin: midfielder Dani Olmo, who headed a header off the line to deny England’s Marc Guehi a last-gasp chance, goalkeeper Unai Simon, and defender Marc Cucurella.

Three more players from Spain’s Euro 2024 team, including Pedri, a midfielder for Barcelona who played 73 games in the 2020–21 season that culminated in the Olympic final in Tokyo, also traveled to Tokyo. Prior to his injury in the quarterfinal matchup with Germany, Pedri was an important member of the Spanish team this summer.

De la Fuente coached other players who were not on that Olympic squad, including as midfielders Rodri and Fabian Ruiz. This Spanish squad “had done good things together at youth level,” according to Rodri, whose performances this year have made him a possible candidate for the Ballon d’Or.

Rodri expressed his confidence that the group would correct their mistakes given enough time and effort.

In the final match against England, Rodri sustained an injury at halftime, and fellow 2020 Olympic player Martin Zubimendi took over the role with ease.

In international soccer, head coaches rarely have time to spend with their players because of travel and conditioning schedules, so they rarely have training sessions where they can get to know their players and implement their ideas.

Six members of Spain’s 2020 Olympic team, including Oyarzabal and Olmo, had competed in the 2020 European Championships earlier in the summer. Although participating in the Olympics immediately following the Euros must have been extremely taxing for the players, it gave de la Fuente an opportunity to mentor them on the largest platform outside of senior soccer.

Due to his extensive experience working with athletes at both the Olympic and juvenile levels, de la Fuente has a deeper understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his players.

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