Spain ended their 44-year-old wait for a trophy when they won the Euros in 2008. The squad was filled with talent, youth, experience and amazing superstars who helped Spain lift the title without losing a single game in the tournament.
A solitary goal by Fernando Torres in the finals sent the nation into delirium as they overcame Germany 1-0. 8 years have passed since then and we take a look as to where the historic 23 man squad of Spain are now.
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The order of the players is according to the jersey numbers they donned during the tournament. Let us start off with the captain and Spain’s longtime number 1, Iker Casillas.
#1 Iker Casillas
Since legendary Real Madrid and Spain striker Raul was not selected for the 2008 Euros, Casillas was handed the captain's armband. Casillas did not disappoint as he led from the front putting in some stunning performances in goal to deny his opponents.
Casillas kept clean sheets in all of the quarter-final, semi-final, and final matches, with Sweden's first round goal by Zlatan Ibrahimovic being the last one scored against him. During 2008, Casillas was at the peak of his powers and he is still considered as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
Casillas also captained Spain to 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euro triumphs.
Since 2012, Casillas started suffering a dip in form and fitness which led to him being dropped from the starting XI of Real Madrid even though he was the club captain. The Spanish goalkeeper won the Champions League for the third time in his career in 2014 before finally moving to Porto in 2015.
Casillas has struggled to rediscover his best form at Porto but there is no denying the fact that San Iker is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
#2 Raul Albiol
Raul Albiol was part of the Spain squad during their most successful times, but he did not play many times during the crucial matches as more experienced defenders like Puyol were preferred. Albiol is best known for his time at Real Madrid but during the 2008 Euros, he was actually an integral part of the Valencia side.
Following his good displays, he made a move to Real Madrid where he struggled to nail down a regular starting berth although he did play in some crucial matches.
In 2013, he was transferred to Napoli where he is putting in some solid defensive displays. The 30-year-old Spanish defender will be hoping to make the 2016 Euros squad.
#3 Fernando Navarro
The former Barcelona defender was more of a squad member than a regular starter in the Spain 2008 Euros squad. He made only one appearance in the tournament playing in Spain’s 2-1 victory over Greece in the group stages.
Navarro graduated from the famed La Masia academy and he was considered to be a very promising talent. After playing in Barcelona till 2006, he moved to Mallorca where he played till 2008.
The longest spell of his career was spent from 2008-2015 in Sevilla. The defender who is now 33 currently plays for Deprotivo La Coruna. Navarro has made only 2 appearances for the senior national team, with one of them coming in Euros 2008.
#4 Carlos Marchena
The former Valencia defender played a crucial part in Spain’s Euro 2008 winning squad being an undisputed starter in Luis Aragones' Spain squad. With Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila, he formed a rock-solid defense and conceded only two goals in five games, his hard work and man-marking skills earning him a spot in the team of the tournament.
During Euros, he was the captain of the impressive Valencia side where he spent the majority of his career. Under new coach Vicente Del Bosque, Marchena slowly lost his spot to Gerard Pique, but was still called up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup which Spain won.
He spent the later part of his career at Villarreal, Deportivo and Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters before calling time on his long and amazing career.
#5 Carles Puyol
A firm fan favorite for his fighting displays, Puyol always gave more than a 100% every time he played for Barcelona and Spain.
Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, Puyol was known for his commanding presence in the air, his composure on the ball and his intense commitment and ruggedness. At Euro 2008, Puyol started throughout the vast majority of the competition.
He was named in the Team of the Tournament alongside defensive partner Carlos Marchena.
A true leader and a motivator, Puyol was one of those players who worked unbelievably hard to make the most of his talents. Puyol himself modestly said:
"I don't have Romario’s technique, [Marc] Overmars' pace or [Patrick] Kluivert's strength. But I work harder than the others. I'm like the student who is not as clever, but revises for his exams and does OK in the end."
A one-club man, Puyol retired in 2014 but not before playing a crucial role in SPain's amazing 2010 World Cup triumph. Puyol is definitely one of the best Spanish defenders of all time.
#6 Andres Iniesta
The diminutive Spaniard has been astonishing the footballing world since 2005 and there are no signs of him slowing down. Always setting up goals or scoring crucial ones, Iniesta is truly a big match player.
Iniesta put in some stunning performances for Spain in Euro 2008 and was named in the team of the tournament along with 6 of his team-mates.
In the 2010 World Cup Iniesta scored the all-important goal in the finals cementing his place as one of the legends of the game.
Iniesta relies on exceptional creative passing, intuition and inventiveness to control the midfield and dictate the ebb and flow of play. He has won 29 trophies in his stellar career making him the most successful Spanish player of all time.
Still playing for Barcelona, Iniesta is now the captain of his childhood club and he will be hoping to put in another stunning performance in Euro 2016.
#7 David Villa
David Villa has been one of the best strikers of this generation. The Spaniard has played for Spain’s biggest clubs such as Valencia , Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Villa played a huge role in Euro 2008 finishing the tournament with 4 goals and securing the golden boot award.
He provided many memorable moments in the 2008 Euros including scoring a hat-trick against Russia. A muscle strain kept him out of the finals against Germany, but Villa’s contribution to the 2008 triumph cannot be underestimated.
Now, Villa is the captain of MLS side New York City FC where he scored 18 goals last season and four this season. He is the first Spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals and retired from internationals after the 2014 World Cup with 59 in 97 matches, making him Spain's all-time top goalscorer.
#8 Xavi Hernandez
Considered by many to be the greatest Spanish player ever, Xavi Hernandez is truly one of the best midfielders to ever play the game. Xavi's vision, pinpoint accurate passing and world class ball control allowed him to dictate the flow of play while rarely relinquishing possession. His ability to control some matches has earned him the sobriquet, "The Puppet Master".
Xavi was pivotal to Spain's success, in addition to making tackles, shaping attacks and driving Spain to their first silverware since the 1964 European Championships. Andy Roxburgh, head of UEFA's technical committee, said: "We have chosen Xavi because he epitomizes the Spanish style of play. He was influential in the whole possession, passing and penetrating kind of game that Spain played."
Xavi also provided the assist in the final for Fernando Torres’ goal against Germany.
Currently, Xavi plays for Qatari club Al Saad and he has hinted taht he might call time on his glittering career at the end of next season. Xavi Hernandez is one of the greatest players of our generation.
#9 Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres had the world at his feet in 2008. He was considered to be one of the best players in the world during that period and the Spaniard lived up to that billing scoring a wonderful goal in the finals against Germany.
Torres was named in the Team of the Tournament along side his strike partner and Golden Boot winner David Villa.
His career has been a roller-coaster ride since 2010. After leaving Liverpool, Torres had forgettable spells at Chelsea and AC Milan before making an emotional return to his boyhood club Atletico Madrid. After a recent resurgence in form, Torres will be hoping to make it to the Euro 2016 squad and another trophy to his bulging trophy cabinet.
#10 Cesc Fabregas
In UEFA Euro 2008, Fabregas was handed the jersey number 10, rather than 18 which he had previously held. Despite featuring mostly as a substitute, the midfielder made a considerable impact in Spain's campaign.
Spain won all three of their group games and met Italy in the quarter-finals. In that match, Fabregas scored the winning penalty in the shoot-out after the teams remained deadlocked 0–0 after extra time. In the semi-finals, Spain defeated Russia 3–0 with Fàbregas providing two assists. The midfielder made the starting eleven in the final against Germany where Spain prevailed 1–0.
Fabregas was the darling of the Arsenal crowd in 2008. However, now he plays for their rivals Chelsea having won the Premier League title with them in 2015. Fabregas also had a 4-year spell at Barcelona where he played with many of his national squad team-mates. The Spanish midfielder will be hoping for a good performance in Euro 2016
#11 Joan Capdevila
Joan Capdevila was a key part of the excellent defensive unit which won the Euros. His contributions at left-back were critical throughout the tournament. He was one of the key players in the Villarreal squad having made over 140 league appearances for the yellow submarines.
In 2011, he moved to Benfica, before finishing off his career with short spells at Espanyol, ISL side Northeast United and Lierse.
Capdevila was also a part of the Spanish squad which won the 2010 World Cup.
#12 Santi Cazorla
Luis Aragones surprised the Spanish press by including the uncapped Cazorla in his Euro squad, over more established wingers such as Joaquin and Albert Riera. Justifying the decision, Aragonés stated, "They are players [Cazorla and García] who are performing very well and had the possibility of coming. I made myself decide between Riera and Cazorla where I considered each player's form."
Cazorla made 5 substitute appearances in the tournament with his most important contribution being scoring his penalty in the shootout against Italy in the quarter-finals.
Cazorla was at Villarreal during the Euros, now, the Spaniard is one of the most important members of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side.
#13 Andres Palop
Andres Palop was the third choice goalkeeper in Spain’s Euro 2008 squad. The Spaniard was at Valencia from 1997-2005, before making a move to Sevilla where he spent eight years until 2013.
He last played for Bayer Leverkusen in 2014 before retiring at the age of 40. Palop failed to make a single appearance for the national squad even though he was in the squad during the 2008 Euros triumph.
#14 Xabi Alonso
Alonso featured mainly as a substitute in Euro 2008 but, with key players resting, he captained Spain in the final group game against Greece, earning the man of the match award. Despite a strong performance, he could not attain a starting position in the team, highlighting Spain's strength in depth. Spain went on to win the tournament and he featured in four of Spain's six matches.
Alonso was playing in Liverpool at the time of Euro 2008. He later joined Real Madrid in 2009 where he spent 5 seasons. The Spanish vetaran now plays for Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
#15 Sergio Ramos
Sergio Ramos played a crucial part in Spain's 2008 Euro triumph, forming a formidable back 4 along with his team-mates. Just 22 in 2008, Ramos mainly played as the right-back showing immense maturity and skills throughout the tournament.
Ramos was part of Real Madrid at that time and he still continues to be a part of Los Balncos and is one of their most senior and important players. Ramos mainly plays as a centre-back now and Spain will be pinning their hopes on him and Pique to do the defensive duties during the 2016 Euros.
#16 Sergio Garcia
Sergio Garcia was one of the surprise inclusions in the Spain squad. Having previously been uncapped he was picked as a replacement for Bojan Krkic in the Spain national squad. He made one appearance for Spain in the tournament playing in the gorup stage match against Greece.
Garcia was playing in Real betis at the time of the Euros. After a successful spell at Betis, he moved on to Espanyol where he played for 5 years. He currently plays for Qatari club Al-Rayan and he has scored 15 goals in 23 appearances for them.
#17 Daniel Guiza
Guiza was the top scorer in La Liga before the Euros in 2008 and he was rewarded for his exploits with a place in the Euro 2008 squad. At teh time of Euros, Guiza was in the Mallorca squad and was plundering goals left, right and centre.
He played in both the semi-finals and finals and he was an important part of the squad which won the Euros.
He later played in Fenerbahce and Getafe. Guiza currently plays in Spanish club Cadiz.
#18 Alvaro Arbeloa
Arbeloa was the substitue right back int he Spain 2008 Euros squad. Taken as an understudy to Sergio Ramos, Arbeloa made one appearnce during the tournament putting in a solid performance. At that time, the Spaniard was playing in Liverpool and was one of the most important players at Merseyside.
He made a move back to Real Madrid and Spain in 2009 and he is still playing in his chilhood club although it is very likely he will leave in the summer
#19 Marcos Senna
One of the greatest midfielders in La Liga history, Marcos Senaa was one of the key players in central midfield for Spain. His partnership with Xavi at the centre of the feild was crucial to Spain’s successful run in the 2008 Euros.
Senna was also named in the team of the tournament and he was considered by some people as the player of the tournament as well. Senna spent the majority of his career form 2003-2011 in Villarreal. He later played 2 seasons at New York Cosmos before retiring from the game in 2015.
#20 Juanito
Spanish centre-back Juanito made 26 appearances for the national team, scoring 3 goals in his international career. Juanito made one appearance in the tournament and put in a pretty solid performance. He was a Real Betis player at that time.
He later had spells at Atletico Madrid and Vallaloid before callng time on his playing career. He is now the manager of Spanish side San Roque.
#21 David Silva
David Silva has played in all the major title winning Spain squads of this generation. He scored the third goal in the 3-0 victory against Russia in the semi-finals. He also started in the finals against Germany before being replaced by Santi Cazorla. He was one of the star players of Valencia at that time.
Following good performances with Valencia and the Spain national squad, Silva was involved in a big money transfer to Manchester City in 2010. Silav reamisn an integral part of the Manchester City side which is looking to conquer Europe and the Premier League.
#22 Ruben de la Red
De la Red played for Spain under 21s before being called up by the senior team for a freindly with Italy on 26 March 2008, but did not make his debut. Uncapped, he was named in the nation's squad of 23 for Euro 2008 by coach Luis Aragones.
During the tournament's final group stage match, de la Red scored his only international goal with a powerful strike against Greece on 18 June, for a 2–1 win. De la Red was playing at Getafe when he was picked for the Euros.
Following the Euros, he made a return to childhood club Real Madrid but a serious heart condition forced him to retire in 2010. He is now the manager of the Getafe B team.
#23 Pepe Reina
Ever reliant and always the second choice goalkeeper, Pepe Reina has performed well for Spain whenever he has been called upon. In Euro 2008, he made a single appearance. The Spaniard was first choice goalkeeper at Liverpool during that time and he was considered one of the best goalkeepers in club football.
After his spell at Liiverpool, he had a loan spell at Napoli and Bayern Munich before he made a permanent move to Napoli this summer.
