Spain vs Argentina: sporting supremacy beyond football

Spain vs Argentina: the sporting supremacy football doesn't tell you about

Spain and Argentina face off in a final that goes beyond football. While the albiceleste boasts its recent world crown, the numbers of Spanish sport throughout history paint a very different picture: Iberian dominance is overwhelming in almost every discipline.

A look at the international titles of Spanish sport reveals a collection of records that dwarfs any comparison with Argentina except in football. Spain holds 61 motorcycle racing world championships, 12 Tour de France victories, 44 Grand Slam titles in tennis, 24 rink hockey world titles, two basketball world cups, two in handball, three in water polo, two futsal world cups, one men's and one women's football World Cup, among others. In athletics it has 89 medals at world championships; in sailing, 22 Olympic medals.

Argentina's honours, by contrast, are concentrated in football (three World Cups, 16 Copa América titles) and, to a lesser extent, basketball (Olympic gold in 2004), field hockey (silver medal in 2012), boxing and polo. The difference in variety and volume is so wide that some argue that "if we compare only football their record is better, but if we look at all sports it's no contest".

The upcoming final adds tension: for some, winning convincingly is the only way to stop them "starting with their whining that we won because of the referee"; for others, a Spanish defeat would be "unbearable" and would prolong the debate for decades. Beyond the anecdote, the data point to an uncomfortable truth: Spain produces champions in almost every sport; Argentina, above all in one.

Can football, on its own, place one country above another in sporting history? The scoreline of the upcoming final won't settle it, but it will heighten the debate even further.