Spain's captain and top scorer chorused their approval after the UEFA EURO 2008™ final produced a worthy winner in Luis Aragonés's stylish selection.
By a distance
For Iker Casillas and David Villa, there was no doubt that La Roja deserved their success, bringing home the crown for the second time following Spain's European triumph of 1964. Villa, who finished as the tournament's four-goal leading marksman despite being injured for the 1-0 final victory over Germany, led the applause by telling euro2008.com: "We have had a great tournament and we have been the best team by a distance in all our games. There hasn't been one game where we won because we were lucky – we have won by being the better team every time."
From Belfast to Vienna
And the Valencia CF forward singled out coach Aragonés for piecing together a glorious campaign from the wreck of a 3-2 qualifying-stage defeat by Northern Ireland in September 2006. "The gaffer is the man behind this success," Villa insisted. "If you remember, it was 18 months to two years ago that we had a tough night in Belfast, losing to Northern Ireland, and he deserves the credit for sticking with this team. He, more than anyone, is responsible for this victory. However, this trophy is for everyone, for all the boys who played tonight and for the rest of the team as well. We have all been really happy to be a part of this adventure. We have done the country proud and we are all going to enjoy it now."
Overdue success
According to captain Casillas, the measure of Spanish national pride in this achievement would only be felt when the players returned home with the Henri Delaunay trophy on Monday. "I still can't believe we've done it," the goalkeeper told euro2008.com. "We can't really know what is happening in Spain right now, but we know what it is like in the dressing room and we are living this success with the squad and with the fans who have come here to support us. But I'm sure they are absolutely delighted back home. It is about time they had something like this to celebrate because Spain is a proper football country and we'll get to see more of this tomorrow.
A phenomenon
"We are dedicating this win to the Spanish people – and me personally to everyone in my life, personally and professionally," continued Casillas, who conceded only two goals during Spain's six games from their Group D procession in Innsbruck and Salzburg, through to the final waltz in Vienna. "I would agree that we've been the best team if you look at the games we've played. We deserved to beat Italy in the quarter-finals, it was an emphatic win against Russia and today was the same." As with Villa, though, the final word was reserved for departing coach Aragonés, Casillas saying: "He is a phenomenon, it's a shame he is leaving the job because he really is a phenomenon."
No comments:
Post a Comment