Spain ruled global football for four years then fell from grace with inconsistent performances at the last two major tournaments, but coach Julen Lopetegui says his new-look side are ready to carve out their own place in history at the World Cup in Russia.
His predecessor Vicente del Bosque led Spain to their first World Cup triumph in 2010 and glory at Euro 2012, but those roaring successes were followed by a group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup and defeat by Italy in the last 16 at Euro 2016.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "When you come from a painful moment after being knocked out of a tournament the first feeling is one of sadness, but when I arrived that sense was already passing and there was excitement to keep going, to forget that tournament and prepare for the next one," Lopetegui told Reuters.
"We found a team in great health in every sense, a side full of top players. The fact they had gone to a tournament and not done as well as expected didn't mean everything was a mess.
Spain steamrollered their way through World Cup qualifying, winning nine games, drawing one and scoring 36 goals.
They are unbeaten in 18 matches under Lopetegui, and their scintillating 3-0 win over Italy in a qualifier and a 6-1 blitz of Argentina in their last friendly outing showed their credentials as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup. Not that Lopetegui likes that tag.
"Being favourites is no title, it's an adjective, you win titles thanks to what you do on the pitch, and little else," he said.
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