Most recently, when Spain played the European Championship final, ten out of eleven starting players belonged to Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Now it's the Basques who dominate.
It's great that such a small area has such a large representation, says Mikel Oyarzabal.
The Spanish golden era with three consecutive championship titles – European Championship 2008, World Championship 2010, and European Championship 2012 – was synonymous with players from Barcelona and Real Madrid.
When Spain crushed Italy in the European Championship final in 2012, all starting players except Manchester City's David Silva were from one of the two clubs. Jordi Alba started the championship as a Valencia player but signed with Barcelona after the semifinal.
Fast-forward twelve years and it's a new era.
Only two players from the two giants, Dani Carvajal and Lamine Yamal, are expected to start in the European Championship final against England on Sunday. Now it's rather the players from the Basque Country who characterize the national team, the geographically small region in northern Spain that has produced numerous high-quality players and top coaches.
"A pride"
Of the 26 players in Spain's squad, eight have Basque roots. Moreover, Robin Le Normand has played in the region for many years.
Mikel Oyarzabal, who normally plays for Real Sociedad, reflected on this earlier.
For me personally, it's a pride that we have five players from Real Sociedad, he said at a press conference earlier in the week, according to the Spanish Football Association.
He has been substituted in all matches except the last group stage match against Albania, when he started. In the semifinal against France, seven Basque players started.
It's great that such a small area has such a large representation. We're all here for the same thing, to help the team make progress and reach our goal.
"The people have supported us"
However, the Basque Country's relationship with Spain is complex. The region has a high degree of autonomy and has experienced bloody terrorism from the separatist group ETA for decades to establish an independent state, according to the Institute for Foreign Policy.
Consequently, the relationship with the national team has also been complicated. Spain's first home match was played in Bilbao in 1921, but since 1967, the men's national team has never played in the region. According to the New York Times, this can be explained by the fact that it was not considered safe due to ETA's previous activities.
Oyarzabal believes that he feels clear support at home for the Basque-influenced Spanish national team. But…
Of course, there are those who have different opinions. But the people have supported us. The messages I've received from people in my surroundings have always been positive. People are excited and happy that we're here.
Several players in the Spanish European Championship squad have ties to the Basque Country. Either they were born there, have roots there, or play there.
Five players from Real Sociedad: Alex Remiro, Robin Le Normand, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Three players from Athletic Bilbao: Unai Simon, Daniel Vivian, Nico Williams.
In addition: Aymeric Laporte, who has played many years in Athletic Bilbao.
Even the national team coach, Luis de la Fuente, has a strong connection, having spent most of his playing career in Athletic Bilbao.
The Basque Country is located on the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain and comprises the provinces of Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, and Álava, covering an area roughly the size of Medelpad, with over two million inhabitants.
The Basque language is spoken by around 700,000 people and is considered unrelated to other known languages. In the Basque Country, both Basque and Spanish are official languages.
The Basque Country has a high degree of autonomy, with its own police and the right to decide how tax revenues in the region are used.
Source: Landguiden/UI
