As one of world football’s oldest powerhouses, Spain has always been a frontrunner on the international front. Many generations of players have come and gone, but the level of La Roja on the field has seldom fluctuated.
Indeed, records do not do justice to the rich talent Spain has seen over the years. The nation has only one FIFA World Cup title, three Euro titles and one UEFA Nations League to show, but that takes nothing away from the generational players La Roja has housed.
It does not come as a surprise that most of the players to have represented the country on the international stage have been players who rose to the limelight in La Liga.
Barcelona and Real Madrid, thus, claim to be the two main teams to have contributed players to Spain’s international success.
A clear discrepancy
Taking a closer view at the list of clubs to have contributed the most players to the Spanish National Team proves that Barcelona have a significant edge over their Madrid-based rivals.
Over the years, the Catalans have contributed a staggering 141 players to La Roja, the latest being their teen sensation Pau Cubarsi.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are considerably behind with just 128 players contributed from the inception of the club. In third place are Athletic Club de Bilbao sitting at 106.
Of the 141 players from Barcelona to make the cut, it is safe to say that most can claim to be homegrown talents. It is thus not surprising that Spain’s golden period happens to coincide with the Blaugranas’ peak in the last decade.
The Golden generation
Spain’s only FIFA World Cup title came back in 2010 when they beat The Netherlands in a closely fought final in South Africa. Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta scored the winning goal for La Roja, but he was just one of the innumerable Catalan pieces in the team.
Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Pedro, and David Villa all started the crucial final for Spain, accommodating seven of the eleven places on the…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/foundation-for-success-barcelona-lead-player-contributions-in-the-history-of-spanish-nt/
Author : Adithya Eshwarla
Publish date : 2024-03-23 16:51:39
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