Spain have won just three World Cup matches since their 2010 glory

Spain have won just three World Cup matches since their 2010 glory

Since that July afternoon in Johannesburg in 2010, the Spanish national team have played three World Cups — 2014, 2018 and 2022 — and their haul of wins is humiliating: three. Exactly the same number they achieved in a single tournament, the one in South Africa, on the way to the title. The statistic, cold and devastating, reduces to rubble the narrative of a golden era that has turned out to be a mirage.

The three wins: a painful inventory

The list of victories looks like that of a minor team: 3-0 against Australia in 2014 (already eliminated), 1-0 against Iran in 2018 (with an own goal and undeserved) and 7-0 against Costa Rica in 2022 (an opponent who failed to get past the group stage). The rest are defeats, draws and plenty of disappointment. In Russia 2018, for example, Spain won only one match in the entire tournament, and the overall balance is three wins in 14 World Cup games. A 21% success rate.

The same old problem: a lack of goals

The voices blaming the absence of a clinical finisher carry weight. Spain dominated possession for years, but without Villa — their all-time top scorer — or a worthy replacement, the team has crashed into well-organised defences. The emergence of Lamine Yamal generates hope, but his youth and lack of decisiveness in key moments raise doubts. As has been pointed out, as long as the midfield is top class, if there is no one to finish off the moves, everything remains a pretty bird of sterile possession.

The future: from 'tiki-taka' to the round of 16 ceiling

Pessimism has taken hold. The phrase "we're back to the same old round-of-16 ceiling" sums up a feeling few dispute: nobody with any sense expects Spain to reach the semi-finals at the next World Cup. The statistic is unsettling: the generation that won the 2010 World Cup achieved in a single tournament as many wins as the trinc three combined. Either history was a miracle, or the present is a long trek through the desert.