Some things we should learn from Spain's victory in the 2026 World Cup

I already said yesterday that I'm not attracted to football, so what am I doing writing an article about such a popular sport?

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Of course, like millions of my fellow Spaniards, I watched the 2026 World Cup final yesterday. I'm not a football fan, but when the Spanish national team plays such an important match and wins, it's something to celebrate. After all, I don't like football, but I'm Spanish and I like to see my country celebrating victories. Especially when they do it the way they did yesterday. Even if I were a Martian who had just landed from a UFO (don't rule that out, because I'm weirder than a three-dollar bill), I would have noticed a few things yesterday.

First of all, the Spanish players did a great job controlling the sphere they were kicking (I think they call it the "ball") for most of the game, and they did so with a quality I admire in everyone: fair play. A quality that shines even brighter when others don't practice it. Honestly, I wouldn't have liked my country to win by playing dirty. A nation demonstrates its greatness when its people act with honor, even if they could have gained an advantage by acting dishonorably. The fruits of good behavior, respect for the opponent, and competition with courtesy and good manners are always more valuable and worthy of celebration. This applies to all areas of life: politics, work, studies, family, love, friendships... I think everything would be much better if we never forgot this.

On the other hand, there's something that particularly moves me about this victory: seeing very different Spaniards celebrating the same thing together. We've spent so much time witnessing all kinds of conflicts (political disputes, local and regional rivalries, sporting rivalries blown out of proportion, etc.) that sometimes it seems we have nothing in common anymore, but we do: Spain. Yesterday, people from different regions, ideologies, beliefs, tastes, races, and backgrounds celebrated Spain's victory with the same joy and intensity. This is something we must never forget, especially when people try to divide us and pit us against each other for ulterior motives.

Furthermore, the Spanish national football team demonstrates what Spaniards of all kinds are capable of achieving by working as a team, valuing what unites us more than what divides us, and also thanks to the leadership of someone capable and principled like Luis de la Fuente Castillo, the national coach, who has shown admirable dedication throughout this championship. Moreover, this victory demonstrates the importance of effort, commitment, perseverance, the drive to improve, and the pursuit of excellence —values ​​that have always been at the heart of the greatest achievements in our history.

I've long thought that Spain is a great country, even though there are many things we need to improve. Yesterday, Spain proved it again in a football match, and millions of Spaniards share that joy today. I wish it were always like this. Like in a family, I think it only takes a small effort to improve coexistence among Spaniards. It's up to all of us to figure out what we need to contribute to achieve that goal.

My congratulations to the Spanish national football team on that second star, and my thanks for the huge wave of joy it has generated throughout Spain. Long live Spain!

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Photo: Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol.