Joy aplenty in Spain. Of course, there's the small matter of la Roja retaining the European Championships, making history by winning three successive major tournaments and in doing so becoming the greatest team that there has ever been.
However, there's even more reason to knock back the beers back in the homeland of the bestest team on the planet: both the Barcelona and Real Madrid media are able to share the spoils in their respective teamâÂÂs contributions to SpainâÂÂs glorious moment.
Relations between the camps normally resembles that of Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole: they're hardly going to hug each other in celebrating success, but they are capable of working together when required. ThatâÂÂs especially been the case over the past four years, when Spain have been doing rather well and the Barcelona press have been able to hang that success on the contribution of the players from the Catalan club.
(Not all Catalans are delighted: Joan Laporta's former vice president Alfons Godall branded them âÂÂmercenariesâ for celebrating SpainâÂÂs win. That's not entirely accurate from the nasty meanie-head, considering itâÂÂs very much a case of "chequeâÂÂs in the post" when it comes to the national team players getting paid by the Spanish FA.)
MondayâÂÂs edition of Sport joined the jubilant mood across the land, with Joan Vehils writing that âÂÂthey may be small and little but nevertheless they are enormous footballers and greats both on and off the pitch.â The reaction of Mundo Deportivo to SundayâÂÂs victory was to attribute the victory to Xavi and co finally getting it together. âÂÂWhen the Barça brain gets going, the national side reaches a level that the world envies,â writes Lobo Carrasco.
AS and Marca are in full-on la-la land mood, with the former's front page branding la Roja as âÂÂthe best team in historyâÂÂ. Inside, thereâÂÂs a tearful tribute from Javier Matallanes, who delights that âÂÂmy Roja, my beloved Spain are legends. La Roja are eternal.â In his editorial, Alfredo Relaño brings things down to earth a tad, referencing the conomic crisis by noting that âÂÂfootball doesnâÂÂt offer solutions, but instead it brings joy.âÂÂ
MarcaâÂÂs front cover boasts of âÂÂSpain and nobody elseâ with the paper's editorial in joyous mood over âÂÂa triumph of a way of playing football, of a style and of an exemplary group of people lead by the best of all, Vicente del Bosque.âÂÂ
The one downside of the win and everything that goes with the triumph is that the fact that there simply isnâÂÂt enough time to brag about finally beating â nay, destroying â Italy for the first time over 90 minutes in a competitive match. Instead, focus and attention have been split between the contributions of Cesc Fabregas and Andrés Iniesta or Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas.
But itâÂÂs a fine situation to be in, with more than enough praise to go around for everyone.
