Sports

Spanish football dominates 2010s

Spanish clubs sweep Champions League, Europa League trophies, national team become world's number one over last decade

Can Erozden and Muhammed Enes Calli  | 25.12.2019 - Update : 25.12.2019
Spanish football dominates 2010s

ANKARA 

As Spanish football reigned Europe and the world in 2010s, clubs and national team bagged at least 25 major trophies such as UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup titles and FIFA World Cup.

Real Madrid left their mark at the Champions League in the last decade by lifting four trophies over this last decade.

"Los Blancos" (The Whites) are regarded as the most successful team in Europe in 2010s after winning Champions League titles four times in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Real Madrid have become the first club to win this trophy three times in a row since 1992 when the Europe’s top-tier competition rebranded as the Champions League.

The Madrid club is the all-time Champions League winners with 13 titles.

Los Blancos’ European domination started in 2014 after they defeated their city rivals Atletico Madrid 4-1 in the Champions League final in Lisbon.

Real Madrid won three consecutive Champions League titles, an extraordinary success for a European club.

They claimed it between 2016 and 2018, beating Atletico Madrid on penalties, Juventus 4-1 and Liverpool 3-1 in finals, respectively.

Real Madrid also captured three UEFA Super Cup titles -- in 2014, 2016 and 2017 -- and four FIFA Club World Cup trophies in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 over the last decade.

The Spanish giants are currently leading the UEFA rankings with 134,000 points.

Barcelona win Champions League in 2011, 2015

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi led Barcelona to the Champions League success twice in 2010s.

Barcelona won the Champions League in 2011 and 2015.

In 2011 final, Barcelona toppled Manchester United 3-1 to be the winners in London's Wembley Stadium, while they beat Juventus from Italy 3-1 to win this title in Berlin in 2015.

Barca also lifted the Club World Cup in 2011 and 2015.

They were the Super Cup champions in 2011 and 2015 as well.

Sevilla, a Europa League frequenter

Winning the Europa League title was a habit for Sevilla in 2010s as the club from Andalusia community claimed this trophy in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Sevilla are the Europa League's most time winners, with five times.

In 2014 final, they beat Portugal's Benfica 4-2 on penalties in Italy's Turin.

Sevilla won this title again in 2015, defeating Ukraine's Dnipro 3-2 in the final in Warsaw.

The Andalusian club managed to bag the Europa League trophy three times in a row as Sevilla won against Liverpool from England 3-1 in the 2016's final held in Switzerland's Basel.

Atletico Madrid impact 2010s

Real Madrid’s city rivals Atletico Madrid were also dominant in Europe, bagging Europa League trophies three times over the last decade.

"Los Rojiblancos" (The Red and Whites) won three Europa League titles after beating England's Fulham 2-1 in 2010, Spain's Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in 2012, and French club Olympique Marseille 3-0 in 2018 in the finals.

Atletico Madrid added Super Cups to their trophy cabinet in 2010, 2012 and 2018.

Spain bring 2010 World Cup to Madrid

Spanish national football team became an intimidating side in the globe after winning their maiden World Cup title in 2010.

Spain adopted Barcelona's famous "tiki-taka" passing style to earn international success.

It gives high ball possession with quick short passes so that a team, who can do it successfully, can dictate the tempo of the game. This playing style also gives more credit to creativity than physical battle of players.

Barcelona midfielders in 2010s, Spanish trio Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets were the integral figures performing "tiki-taka" in the best way to bring success to Barcelona and Spain.

Called "La Roja" (The Red One), Spain beat Netherlands 1-0 in South Africa 2010 to gain their first World Cup title in history.

After being number one in the world, Spain were the victors in the UEFA EURO 2012, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Spain hammered Italy 4-0 in the final held in Kiev's Olympic Stadium.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.