The Spanish men’s national team have racked up yet another international title after being crowned Olympic champions with a dramatic 5-3 win over hosts France in the Gold Medal match in Paris

The winning squad featuring 19 LALIGA players drawn from 12 different LALIGA sides across both LALIGA EA SPORTS and LALIGA HYPERMOTION (RCD Espanyol, Atlético de Madrid, UD Almería, Girona FC, FC Barcelona, Real Sociedad, Valencia CF, Sevilla FC, Villarreal CF, CA Osasuna, Deportivo Alavés and Rayo Vallecano), and just one player yet to become a LALIGA regular for his club. 

The side also featured just two of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning squad, which swept to victory at the European Championships in Germany just a month ago: Alex Baena of Villarreal CF, who scored in the final, and FC Barcelona’s Fermín López, who scored twice and ended the tournament as it’s second highest scorer with six goals. 

Spain’s Euro 2024 win thanks to a 2-1 victory over England in July was their record-breaking fourth European title. What may have struck fans outside of Spain but was already well known to those familiar with the day-to-day to Spanish football was just how balanced and diverse Luis de la Fuente’s squad was in terms of club representation. Players from eight different LALIGA clubs were called up for the tournament, accounting for an overwhelming majority of 19 of the 26 players in the squad, reflecting the strength in depth and presence of elite talent at clubs across the LALIGA EA SPORTS table. 

And, perhaps more tellingly, 25 of the 26 players came through the youth ranks at 11 different LALIGA clubs from across the top two divisions (Athletic Club, FC Barcelona, Real Betis, RC Celta, UD Las Palmas, CA Osasuna, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad, Sevilla FC, CD Tenerife and Villarreal CF), a strong indicator of the health of the talent pipeline that Spanish academies produce year in, year out to complement the arrival of established stars from abroad.

Spain’s national teams, driven by this constant pipeline of talent and grassroots development across LALIGA clubs, are currently the most dominant force in European football. The men’s side are currently European champions (2024), Olympic champions (2024), Nations League champions (2023) and U-19 European champions (2024), while the women’s side are World champions (2023), Nations League champions (2024), and U-19 European champions (2024).

Such dominance of international football is unprecedented, and where better to keep up with and enjoy the best established and up-and-coming talent in world football than in LALIGA. The season starts this week in both LALIGA EA SPORTS and LALIGA HYPERMOTION on Thursday 15th August. Don’t miss it!