'I'm the coach - get used to it!', says Hierro

After spending over a decade bogged down in disappointment, Spain waltzed their way back to football's peak by reaching Sunday's Euro 2024 final in Berlin.

Winning two European Championships in 2008 and 2012, either side of their 2010 World Cup triumph, La Roja were set to dominate football for years to come.

However, they fell from grace at astonishing speed. The players destined to replace their golden generation fell desperately short.

Spain's 2014 World Cup defence ended in early humiliation, battered 5-1 by the Netherlands, crashing out in the group stage.

The two-time defending champions were eliminated by Italy in the Euro 2016 last-16, with newspaper Marca labelling it "The End" for Vicente del Bosque's La Roja.

Spain fell at the same stage in the 2018 World Cup against Russia on penalties, completing over 1,000 passes but failing to hurt the limited hosts.

A better showing at Euro 2020 took a young side to the semi-finals but the 2022 World Cup last-16 defeat by Morocco was another painful exit.

However, the Spanish football federation believed the team was close to where they needed to be.

They replaced coach Luis Enrique with Luis de la Fuente, who had coached national youth sides for years with success.

Despite early jitters, including a 2-0 defeat by Scotland last year, Spain stuck with their little-known coach and are now reaping the rewards.

De la Fuente earned their first silverware in 11 years by lifting the Nations League last summer, pledging it was only the beginning.

And so it proved, with La Roja the standout Euros team, dominating the toughest group featuring defending champions Italy, before beating hosts Germany and France.

What they have achieved seems remarkable given their line-up boasts few recognisable stars beyond Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, 16, will dazzle the football world for years to come and could earn that billing, but he is only just starting his career.

On the opposite flank Nico Williams has also burst into the limelight and may get a big move this summer from Athletic Bilbao.

Elsewhere the team features many 'misfits', including Marc Cucurella who has struggled at Chelsea, Saudi Arabia-based Aymeric Laporte, and others who are not standouts for their clubs.

However, their lack of superstars poses no problems. "I have 26 great players and I'm just lucky that they are Spanish," said De la Fuente.

Unlike final opponents England, whose coach Gareth Southgate is sometimes reluctant to replace struggling icons, or France building around a sub-par Kylian Mbappe, Spain accept everyone is on an equal footing.

"The big difference to all the (other) countries is that we are a team and there is no one leader above the rest," explained Barcelona's Pedri before the tournament.

'A long process' 

De la Fuente, more pragmatic than his predecessor, is profiting from his willingness to try different approaches.

Spain still enjoy possession but also release the explosive Yamal and Williams, fire in crosses and let them take risks to beat their markers.

While other coaches might have opted for one winger and a possession-friendly midfielder on the other flank, the 63-year-old goes full throttle with both.

Luis Enrique's Spain tried to pass teams to death but at times in Euro 2024 La Roja have had less than 50 percent possession.

De la Fuente knows his players better than most of his counterparts did at the tournament, having coached the vast majority of them over the past few years.

He won the U19 Euros with Spain in 2013 and the U21 Euros in 2019, plus silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Seven of the starting line-up that day have played at Euro 2024.

"I know the players very well, what we had available to us and we needed time to do what we are seeing now," said the coach this week.

"I am not surprised by it. Cooking this up... is a long process but we knew the decisions and the path we had to take."

That continuity has proven vital in the international game where coaches do not typically have long to work with their players and has taken Spain to the verge of glory once more.

Spain's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal hopes for his side to win the Euro 2024 final against England in Berlin and Lionel Messi's Argentina triumph against Colombia in the Copa America final just hours later in Florida on Monday so that the duo can have a go at each other in the "Finalissima". 

The 'Finalissima' is a one-off game arranged by CONMEBOL and UEFA, pitting the reigning Copa America winners against the reigning Euro winners. The competition, previously known as European/South American Nations Cup, was held twice in 1985 and 1993 before being discontinued. It was relaunched in 2022 in which Argentina beat European champions Italy 3-0. 

Speaking to RAC1, the leading radio in Catalunya, Yamal said he would like to face Messi, former player and a legend of the Spanish starlet's current club Barcelona, in the upcoming 'Finalissima'. 

"I hope Messi wins the Copa América and I win the Euros, so I can play against him in the Finalissima," Yamal said. 

Yamal has been a standout performer for Luis de La Fuente's Spanish side, who dispelled title-holders Italy, hosts Germany, and pre-tournament favourites France on their way to Euro 2024 final. 

It was Yamal's spectacular curler from outside the box that helped Spain level France in their eventual 2-1 win over Kylian Mbappe's side in the semifinal. Aged 16 years and 362 days, Yamal also became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Euros in the process. 

The Messi-led Argentina have also had a rather smooth sailing into the Copa America 2024 final. The only time Argentina looked a bit shaky was during the semifinal against Ecuador but the defending champions got over the line on penalties despite Messi missing the first kick from the spot. 

Should a meeting of Yamal and Messi materialises in the 'Finalissima', it will definitely be a moment to cherish for fans -- Barcelona fans in particular -- especially since photographs on social media of a 20-year-old Messi cradling and bathing a six-month-old Yamal went viral recently.

Shared by Yamal's father, Mounir Nasraoui, on Instagram with a caption reading, "The beginning of two legends", the photos were taken by Joan Monfort, a freelance photographer who shot a series of images of various Barca players posing with children and their families as part of a charity calendar organised by Catalan newspaper Diario Sport in conjunction with UNICEF. 

Newly crowned European champions Spain rose to third in the latest FIFA rankings published on Thursday, while World Cup winners Argentina held on to the top spot following their Copa America triumph.

The rankings come after a busy month for football, with Argentina beating Colombia to win the Copa America and Spain defeating England to win the European Championship.

England moved up to fourth, leapfrogging Brazil after their underwhelming Copa America campaign.

Venezuela, who reached the Copa America quarter-finals, were the most improved side in the rankings, rising 17 places to 37th, with Euro quarter-finalists Turkey jumping 16 places to 26th.

The top 10-ranked nations:

1 - Argentina

2 - France

3 - Spain

4 - England

5 - Brazil

6 - Belgium

7 - Netherlands

8 - Portugal

9 - Colombia

10 - Italy

Finally handed the keys to Spain's midfield at a major tournament, Rodri Hernandez has driven the side to the verge of Euro 2024 glory.

La Roja are bidding for a record fourth Euros triumph against England in Sunday's Berlin final and Rodri is both the engine and the brains behind the competition's strongest side to this point.

After Luis Enrique used Rodri at centre-back at the 2022 World Cup with veteran Sergio Busquets still the first choice defensive midfielder, coach Luis de la Fuente has installed Rodri in his best position.

"We have Rodri, who is a perfect computer, he administers everything, the emotions, all the moments in a magisterial way -- that's a great help for everyone," said De la Fuente after Spain's 4-1 last-16 win over Georgia.

Spain fell behind in the match and a pivotal moment, not just against Georgia but in their whole Euros campaign, came midway through the first half.

With his team trailing and rattled, Rodri stopped with the ball in the middle of the pitch and issued his team-mates a message of calm, urging them not to lose their heads and keep following through with their plan.

"Sometimes 20 or 30 seconds of telling people to 'calm down' is more productive than going back on the attack," explained Rodri after the game.

"I thought in that moment that was what I had to do."

It was Spain's organiser-in-chief who scored the equaliser before the break to put La Roja back on track as the minnows' defence crumbled.

Falling behind was the first of a series of pressure moments which have hardened Spain on the way to the final, proving the mental strength of what was already the tournament's most entertaining and dangerous side.

They conceded a late equaliser against hosts Germany to go to extra-time in the quarter-finals but pulled through. Rodri was vital in orchestrating Spain's second half ball-hogging against France in the semi-final which prevented Les Bleus from battling back.

'The main man'

With just one defeat in his last 79 matches for club or country, the 28-year-old has proven his Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola correct in saying he is the "complete" midfielder.

Former City team-mate Ilkay Gundogan has recalled the studious Rodri's long chats with Guardiola after training, always looking to improve.

Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal even begged the former Atletico Madrid man to come back to the Spanish capital and join Los Blancos.

"I tell him every day to come to Madrid," Carvajal said on Spanish radio station Cope this week.

"I say to him 'leave Manchester, there's no sun there, and come to Madrid, we need you...'

"He would be the perfect signing, no doubt."

However, Rodri maintains he is happy under Guardiola at City where his growth has been continuous.

He helped the Premier League club to their first Champions League triumph in 2023, scoring the decisive goal, while also winning four league titles since joining from Atletico in 2019.

At 6-foot-3 (1.90 metres) and boasting a steely frame, Rodri has brought Spain's 'Busquets role' into the modern era and helped revive a nation in the footballing doldrums for much of the decade since their Euro 2008 and 2012 wins and 2010 World Cup.

England fear Rodri could run the game in the same way Italy's Jorginho pulled the strings as the Three Lions finished runners-up in the Euro 2020 final.

"He dictates games with the way he plays, I feel like Rodri is the main man for them," said Ollie Watkins on Friday, whose late goal against the Netherlands sent England to the final.

The Aston Villa striker recalled the last Euro final in 2021.

"I can remember watching the Italy game and Jorginho I felt was a crucial player for them in the last Euros final," Watkins said.

"If we can stop the ball from getting into him, it makes our life a lot easier... but it's never that simple with a world-class player like him."

Spain, by contrast, will do everything in their power to ensure Rodri is at the wheel this time around.

Barcelona's Spain forward Ferran Torres has suffered a hamstring injury and will be out of action for an indefinite period, the LaLiga club said on Monday.

The 24-year-old will miss Spain's Nations League matches against Denmark on Saturday and Serbia next Tuesday, national team coach Luis de la Fuente confirmed.

Media reports said Ferran could be out for six to eight weeks after he picked up the injury in Barca's 3-0 win at Deportivo Alaves on Sunday where he limped off after five minutes.

"Tests carried out on Ferran Torres confirm that he has an injury to the biceps femoris muscle in his right thigh. His return to training will be dependent on his recovery," the Catalan club said.

Barcelona are navigating an injury crisis, with Dani Olmo, Gavi, Fermin Lopez, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen among the players sidelined.

"Ferran's injury is worrying. We don't have many options in attack," Barca manager Hansi Flick said on Sunday.

He has made 10 appearances for Barcelona this season.