Spain wins the World Cup. And football owes him gratitude

However, I was happy that the Spain won the World Cup 2026. I’m not one of those who links opinion to statistics, as football is unpredictable. But sometimes numbers are inevitable to explain the solution of a game.

When a Argentina he kicked his only ball into the goal, through Simeone, it was already the end of extra time. And Spain had already shot 22 times, only missing the goal due to the great game of goalkeeper Dibu Martínez. The 1-0 victory with Ferran Torres’ goal, 40 seconds into the final stage of extra time, may seem like a simple victory because of the score. But its meaning was a rout.

The legacy left by John Cruyff to football is so noble that, 10 years after his death, he continues to show that football can be simple, as long as it meets some principles.

Football now owes a debt of gratitude to Spain. Overturning the dogma of individualism, he proved that collective power, when it meets the principles of possession of the ball and the occupation of spaces, all in due time, becomes insurmountable. It may one day lose, like Spain has lost since 2014. But one day it will win again, like it already won the Euro and now the World Cup.

This system, when shared and executed, among others, with Cubarsí and Laporte at the back, Rodri, Olmo and Pedri in the middle, and Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Ferran Torres in attack, makes a team sacrifice itself for discipline, but a winner without losing its beauty. It’s so fantastic that this game system of yours even absorbs the football of a genius, as happened with Messi. Without individual marking, Messi was swallowed by the Spanish scheme.

Argentina would not have left any good example as champions. Winning through physical overcoming, which is sometimes confused with rough, violent, and even dirty play (Paredes and Enzo Fernández), and in dependence on a genius like Messi, who is an exception in football, as were Pelé, Garrincha and Maradona, would leave no lesson.

In a World Cup final, only Brazil in 1970, in Mexico, controlled Italy with the authority that Spain controlled Argentina, in New Jersey. The way Spain’s conquest was implemented restored self-esteem to those who love football.