La Roja fans had their most glorious moment under the sun in 2010. After that, years have passed, but some still hold those memories very close to our hearts. Everything about Spain’s world cup journey is pretty much electric. If you still remember the golden generation of the Spanish football team and are yet to forget the glory of winning the world cup, join us in relieving Spain’s best moments in the world cup (in no particular order).
Spain’s Best world cup moments
1. David Villa’s goal against Honduras
Sensational. This was Spain’s first world cup victory of 2010, and who better to open the record than Villa?
The run from the midfield line, the dribbling past three defenders, and that cheeky shot- classic David Villa! No one knew back then that it was the start of a magical journey, but the goal was good enough to forget everything else and enjoy that specific moment.
2. Iniesta’s goal against Chile
Villa to Iniesta and before anyone blinked- goal! It was the buildup of the goal in true tikitaka fashion. This was Iniesta’s one of the two goals of the world cup, and the commentary made it even better.
3. Ramos’ performance against Portugal
Portugal came all decked in, and one of the only reasons why they didn’t leave with a win was Ramos. Ramos and Puyol handled the Spanish defense like they were guarding a fortress, and it all paid off when Villa scored the only goal of the match.
The fact that Portugal had Cristiano but failed to score should say something. Granted, he was yet to hit his lethal form back then, but he still wasn’t someone to be counted out of the game.
4. Casillas’ save against Portugal
It should be «Saves» considering he was making them constantly, and every one of those was phenomenal and life-saving for Spain. But the one he made on the 20th minute of the match was a very close save and could’ve been different if he had moved a hair inside. That’s probably what makes the save stand out so much.
5. Puyol saving Spain
Honestly, no one in the stadium thought Puyol would save the day of all people. He played as a defender and wasn’t very keen on all the techniques strikers like David Villa used all the time. But when the strikers got denied by multiple times, his rocket launcher of a header pushed Spain to the next round, and boy, was it some header. Podolski stood guard in front of the posts with Neuer, Xavi took the corner. Puyol almost flew over Khedira and put the ball inside the net. This probably wouldn’t look so big any other time, but Germany was fan favorites to win the match, and if it went to extra time, Germany could have won. The relief alone makes this moment stand out.
6. Iniesta scoring the winning goal
We saved the best for the last. Any Spanish fan would admit that the most memorable moment of Spain’s whole world cup journey is this particular moment. Not him basically humiliating Robben, not the goal line clearances but the goal he scored.
Minutes before the goal, Xabi Alonso was subbed off of the field. Cesc Fabregas replaced him, and a lot of the fans were livid. But everyone forgot everything when Torres passed the ball to Fabregas, who set it up for Iniesta, and the rest was history. He slotted the ball in, and Spain was on top of the world. The commentary, the stadium-shattering screams of the fans, the run towards the corner flag- everything looked like it was happening in slow motion.
7. Casillas lifting the trophy as captain
Spain had to continue playing for four long minutes after Iniesta scored the winning goal. Four minutes is a long time in football; anything could’ve happened. Netherland could’ve equalized and put Spain back on square one. But nothing happened, fortunately. The final whistle took its sweet time, but it was worth it. Spain was the champion of the world. It is safe to say that the best moment of any Spain fan’s life was when Casillas finally lifted the trophy after all the formalities and all the speeches.
And that concludes our list of Spain’s best moments in the world cup. Of course, our personal pick among these is Iniesta’s winning goal in the final, but Villa’s goal versus Honduras comes to a close second. These days, technology has made it easier for fans to watch soccer online and relive the game moment by moment. So if you feel like rewatching the matches or simply want to keep yourself in the loop of the latest soccer news, check out Pirlotv or Hesgoal soccer streams. How about you? What is your favorite moment of Spain in the world cup? Let us know!