Spain Soccer Team

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Spain Soccer Team General Information

Country - Spain
Capital City - Madrid
Continent - Europe
Manager - Luis Aragones
Captain - Raul Gonzalez Blanco
Star Man - Raul

Spain Soccer Team History

Founded 1913
Affiliated 1904
WC participations 11 (1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)
WC honours 4th place (1950)
Continental Titles European champions
First International: Spain 2 - 0 Belgium (Bilbao, Spain; 7 October 1921)
Largest win: Spain 13 - 0 Bulgaria (Madrid, Spain; 21 May 1933)
Worst defeat: Italy 7 - 1 Spain (Amsterdam, Netherlands; 4 June 1928) England 7 - 1 Spain (London, England; 9 December 1931)

European Championship
Appearances: 7 (First in 1964) Best result Winners, 1964



World Cup Record:

Year	Host	Performance
1930	Uruguay	-
1934	Italy	Quarter final Play Off
1938	France	-
1950	Brazil	Fourth place
1954	Switzerland	-
1958	Sweden	-
1962	Chile	Fourth, Group Three
1966	England	Third, Group Two
1970	Mexico	-
1974	West Germany	-
1978	Argentina	Third, Group Three
1982	Spain	Second Group phase
1986	Mexico	Quarter finals
1990	Italy	Second Round (last 16)
1994	U.S.A.	Quarter finals
1998	France	Third, Group D
2002	S.Korea/Japan	Quarter finals
2006	Germany	in Group H with Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia

SPAIN Football Team for 2006 FIFA World Cup


Coach:
Luis Aragones

Goalkeepers:
Iker Casillas, Santiago Canizares, Jose Manuel Reina.

Defenders:
Michel Salgado, Asier Del Horno, Carlos Marchena, Carlos Puyol, Guerrero Antonio Lopez, Sergio Ramos, Gutierrez Juanito, Ibanez Pablo.

Midfielders:
David Albelda, Hernandez Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Marcos Senna, Sanchez Joaquin, Cesc Fabregas.

Forwards:
Gonzalez Raul, Fernando Torres, Jose Antonio Reyes, Sanz Luis Garcia, David Villa.

Spain Statistics	in Group H with Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia
The team is known as 'La Furia'

Jersey No.	Name of the Player
1	Iker Casillas
2	Michel Salgado
3	Asier Del Horno
4	Carlos Marchena
5	Carlos Puyol
6	David Albelda
7	Gonzalez Raul
8	Hernandez Xavi
9	Fernando Torres
10	Jose Antonio Reyes
11	Sanz Luis Garcia
12	Guerrero Antonio Lopez
13	Andres Iniesta
14	Xabi Alonso
15	Sergio Ramos
16	Marcos Senna
17	Sanchez Joaquin
18	Cesc Fabregas
19	Santiago Canizares
20	Gutierrez Juanito
21	David Villa
22	Ibanez Pablo
23	Jose Manuel Reina

2006 FIFA World Cup	Italy Team	France Team	Italy Famous Players
France Famous Players	Top Goal Scorers	Golden Boot Award	Golden Ball Award

Spain Soccer Team is playing in Group H along with Ukraine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. The Spain Soccer is nicknamed La Furia. It has participated in the World Cup eleven times. But this time in Spain qualifying campaign was not very spectacular. Spain Soccer was in Group 7 alongwith Serbia and Montenegro, San Marino, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Lithuania. With not so fierce competition everyone was sure that Spain would top the group.

But the Serbia-Montenegro emerged as the Group winners. Spain as one of the six European runner-ups was paired with Slovakia in a play-off for the World Cup finals spot. A hat-trick from Luis Garcia and one goal each from Fernando Morientes and Fernando Torres helped Spain in defeating Slovakia 5-1 in the first leg of the play-offs. Four days later Spain suffered a 1-1 draw, but they had qualified for the finals.

This time it is Spain's eighth consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals and all in all it can be said that this time in Spain was celebration time. In 1974 they could not qualify for the Finals. Coincidentally, in that year the world cup was held on German soil. Spain's best performance at the FIFA World Cup was at Brazil in 1950. They finished at the fourth place.

Spain Soccer Team has been unlucky twice at the last-16 stage when they fell at USA 94 and again at South Korea/Japan 2002.

Coach Luis Aragones has rejuvenated his team by bringing in young players. The midfield duties have been assigned to Hernandez Xavi and Xabi Alonso. The pair of strikers Raul Gonzalez and Fernando Torres scored ten out of Spain's 25 qualifying goals (including the play-offs). Garcia, Iker Casillas, Michel Salgado, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos and Asier del Horno are players to watch this FIFA season.


Spain's performance under coach Aragones has been noteworthy. Captain Gonzalez Raul is confident that with such a rich combination of players they will definitely leave a mark in Germany 2006.