The countdown to the 2026 World Cup is on! Each day ahead of the tournament’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that showcases just how grand the world’s biggest sporting spectacle has become — even beyond the expanded field of this year’s global event.
The El Clásico rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid is must-see television each time the two LaLiga giants play. The talent level on both sides of the ball is unmatched and has led to dramatic encounters and memorable moments.
What Barcelona and Real Madrid have provided us over the years in terms of entertainment also bore fruit for Spain’s national team, especially between 2008 and 2012.
Spain’s dominant run in world football began by winning Euro 2008 after going undefeated and winning all three knockout round matches with clean sheets. It was its second Euros title and first since 1964.
The World Cup, however, was a different story. La Roja's best showing came in 1950 with a fourth-place finish when only 13 nations participated.
Spain entered the 2010 World Cup coming off a Round of 16 exit at the 2006 tournament. But now the roster was filled with worldwide names, which included a combined 12 members of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso were just some of the names from the El Clásico rivalry that were at manager Vicente del Bosque's disposal.
It was a bumpy start for Spain after a Gelson Fernandes goal gave Switzerland a 1-0 victory to start off the tournament. A David Villa brace against Honduras gave the Spaniards their first points during a 2-0 win.
Spain faced elimination entering the final group stage match against leaders Chile. Tied on three points with Switzerland, Del Bosque's squad got goals from Villa and Iniesta to beat Chile 2-1, while the Swiss finished with a nil-nil draw with Honduras, ending its chances of moving on.
On the road to the final, Spain had a strong defensive showing, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and the Netherlands by 1-0 scorelines to win the title.
Andres Iniesta's historic goal and a first #FIFAWorldCup for 🇪🇸
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 18, 2022
👀 Like Argentina at #Qatar2022, Spain had lost their first game in 2010. pic.twitter.com/389b9HavaV
It was Iniesta, the midfield maestro, who scored in extra time to break the hearts of the Dutch.
All eight goals scored by Spain during the 2010 World Cup came from Barcelona players, with Villa finishing as the tournament's joint-top scorer with five. Real Madrid’s Casillas recorded five clean sheets and was named Golden Glove winner.
How influential was Barcelona and Real Madrid to Spain's success in 2010? The European giants boasted 10 of the 11 starters in the final.
Spain’s success continued two years later as the reigning Euro and World Cup champions won the European Championship again after allowing a single goal over six matches.
Nine of the starting 11 in the final against Italy were Barcelona or Real Madrid players.