Just before coming to the Euros, he had a poignant moment for his boyhood club. After playing a big role in the final of the Copa del Rey (he assisted Bilbao’s only goal), he watched on from the bench as they won their first title in 40 years.

The last time his club had won a Cup, Maria and Felix, his parents, were still in Ghana and it was the 1980s. Staying in the 1980s, Spain were considered as one of the great underachievers. Their only major trophy had come at the Euros in 1964.

Not anymore. After the disappointment of the 2006 World Cup, Spain tore up their DNA with a new blueprint. Players high on technique and ball retention were sought and fast-tracked into the first team. Forwards were eschewed as a false-nine (a withdrawn player) came in. Out-and-out wingers went out of fashion as wide playmakers replaced them. A Golden Generation of players — led by Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos and David Silva — won two Euros sandwiched by a World Cup.  

By the time 2014 came around, this style needed reinvention. It has taken time but the magic is back. For instance, at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, they made over a 1000 passes against the host nation (Russia made 300 in 120 minutes, for comparison) in the pre-quarterfinals. Spain ended up losing on penalties.

Dogma is well and good but the process had become stale. They suffered from similar issues at the last World Cup. So, when the keys to the senior side were given to Luis de la Fuente, he was clear. He wanted to build a new house, one predicated on playing fast, fun football. He was okay not having possession as long as they were being more vertical.

And he was true to his word as a millennial version was repurposed for the TikTok generation. For the first time in a competitive match in 16 years, Spain conceded more possession to an opponent (against Croatia in their first game in Berlin a month ago). It didn’t matter because that warning shot — a resounding 3-0 win — echoed throughout the country. They were fast, their wingers were direct and it was cool. A dogma had quietly been shelved. It has happened a few times since but this Spain can hurt in other ways.

They showed it in less than 80 seconds into the second-half. In the first half, they were more focused on maintaining structure, passes went sideways rather than forwards and some of that dazzling one-touch play was missing. After a half-time debrief, they corrected that with one of the goals of the tournament.