BERLIN -- Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have had a lot of fun this summer. They were having a great time after Spain destroyed Georgia 4-1 in the Euro 2024 round of 16 as the TV cameras cut to them playing rock, paper, scissors to see who would get to drink from a water bottle first. They were also enjoying themselves after La Roja's extra-time win over hosts Germany in the quarterfinal as they danced in front of the travelling Spanish fans.
Perhaps the only people having more fun than Spain's two young wingers are those who have watched coach Luis de la Fuente's side light up the European Championship over the last month. Heading into Sunday's final against England, few would argue that they have been by far the best and the most entertaining team at the tournament.
While some of the favourites trudged their way out of the group phase and then struggled to find a spark in the knockout rounds, Spain have won all six of their games, scoring 13 goals in the process and creating a tournament-high 96 chances. Meanwhile, Portugal (5), France (4), Italy (3) and Belgium (2) mustered just one more goal between them than the entire Spanish side.
It has not always been this way for Spain since they won back-to-back Euros and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012. In fact, at times it has been pretty bad. Penalty defeats to Russia and Morocco at the last two World Cups, coupled with an inability to break down the opponents' low block, led to questions about the team's identity. Did they need to deviate, even if just slightly, from their possession-heavy style? The answer, based on how they have had success in Germany, was yes.
At times Spain have been happy to cede possession. Against Croatia, in their opening match in Berlin, they had less of the ball than the opposition for the first time in 136 competitive fixtures, a streak which stretched back to the Euro 2008 final win over Germany. They didn't have to wait long for it to happen again. Germany edged them in the possession battle in the quarterfinal.
"Maybe in other times having more of the ball guaranteed better results," De la Fuente said after beating Croatia 3-0. "Now, we can surprise opponents. We used the ball with a lot of sense and were clinical in the final third. It shows that you don't have to have so much of the ball if you're a team like us, with pace."
The narrative for the tournament was more or less written there and then: Spain's wingers, Williams and Yamal, have given them a new dimension with their joyful dribbling and their joie de vivre [joy of life]. Williams was again brilliant in the next game, a 1-0 win against Italy which should have been 5-0, and both have shone in the knockout games. Williams scored one and made another against Georgia, while Yamal assisted Dani Olmo against Germany and then scored a stunning equaliser in the semifinal win over France.
The two are as close off the pitch as their markers would like to be to them on it. Spain's six-week stay in Donaueschingen, 90 minutes south of Stuttgart in the Black Forest, has allowed a bromance to develop. Midfielder Rodri says their youthfulness and innocence is "infectious" and they play like you imagine they did growing up with their friends in the local square, without the pressure of representing a country of nearly 48 million.
Williams turned 22 on Friday and Yamal will be 17 on Saturday, the eve of the final, but their ages have not held them back. Yamal has become the youngest player to play and score at a men's Euros and seems unfazed by everything happening around him. His sublime goal against France, almost a carbon copy of his strike against the same country in the U17 Euros a year ago, may prove a seminal moment in his career.
He has four goal contributions at the finals (one goal, three assists) and leads the tournament for chances created (16) and big chances created (6). He ranks fourth for take-ons (34) -- only teammate Williams (35), Germany's Jamal Musiala (38) and Belgium's Jérémy Doku (39) have more. Above all, though, those that work with him at Barcelona and Spain single out his maturity and decision-making.
Not even France's Adrien Rabiot could knock him out of his stride. The midfielder said he would have to do more than he'd done so far to make a final. Yamal responded by saying you don't speak until it's time to say checkmate. He then scored that fine equaliser, with Rabiot unable to block his shot. "Speak now," the teenager said to the cameras at full-time. "Checkmate," he posted on social media the next day.
But to focus purely on Yamal and Williams, as it is easy to do, is to miss the importance of Rodri. Remarkably, at 28, this is his first tournament with Spain starting in his favoured position in central midfield. He was a backup midfielder at Euro 2020 and played as a centre-back at the 2022 World Cup. This is now his team. No one in the Spain squad has had more touches (465) or completed more passes (378) than him.
He leads, too. If Yamal's decision making is good, Rodri's is usually better. He knows exactly what a game needs. That's why against Georgia, with Spain trailing, he stopped with the ball in the middle of the pitch, issued a few instructions and waited a few seconds. A few minutes later, he scored the equaliser and Spain went on to win 4-1.
"Sometimes 20 or 30 seconds of saying to people 'calm down' is more productive than going on the attack," he told ESPN after the game.
Spain striker Joselu suggested that Rodri is the "most important player in the world" right now and there is a growing line of thought among the Spain squad that the Manchester City star should win the Ballon d'Or.
"He should have won it last year when he won the Champions League and scored the winner in the final," defender Dani Vivian said.
Rodri's presence is also a sign that while this Spain side is different, it can also be the same, if not quite the 2008-2012 vintage. They rank fourth in ball possession at the tournament -- behind Portugal, France and England -- and have perhaps the best high press. They killed the second half off against France by taking control of the ball. It is not all about the unpredictability of the wingers.
Spain's success was not actually anticipated -- not to this level. Left-back Marc Cucurella, one of the revelations of the tournament, says being considered outsiders motivated them, but it was a fair assessment in some ways.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente looks forward to facing England in the final of Euro 2024.
Ten clubs are likely to be represented in Sunday's starting XI; gone are the days of Real Madrid and Barcelona dominating the national team. There is experience in age, but not in caps; only Rodri, Álvaro Morata and Jesús Navas have made over 50 appearances. Surprisingly, this is Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal's first-ever Euros. With Nacho Fernández and Joselu leaving, he is the sole Madrid player in the squad, too. Yamal is the only starter from Barça, with Pedri injured, and Ferran Torres and Fermín López playing off the bench.
It made it hard to know what to expect from Spain but De la Fuente had a good idea. An unexciting appointment after Luis Enrique, it is making more sense now. He enjoyed in-tournament success with Spain's youth teams previously, winning the U21 and U19 Euros and a silver medal at the Olympic Games. Nine of the current squad played with him at some point in those tournaments.
He then steered the senior side to the UEFA Nations League title last summer, although Williams and Yamal have both been introduced to the side since. De la Fuente highlights a qualifier against Georgia last September as a key game in the construction of this side. On that day, Yamal made his debut and was among the scorers in a 7-1 win, as was Williams.
There is a clear idea of how Spain want to play, the team is balanced and the players understand their roles. Most of De la Fuente's decisions have come up trumps in Germany, too, including choosing Cucurella at left-back, picking Fabián Ruiz alongside Rodri, and using Olmo, who has a tournament-high five goal contributions, in a midfield role.
A quiet optimism has grown at Spain's camp in Donaueschingen. They feel at home at their luxury hotel, Der Öschberghof, where some of Europe's biggest teams have spent preseason previously, and the players have entertained themselves in their remote base: chess, video games, piano, mini golf and even darts -- passed on to City players past and present by England's Phil Foden -- are among their favourite ways to pass the time.
Carvajal has praised the relaxed atmosphere, saying it is less strict than the Luis Enrique era. There are still fines for certain misdemeanours, managed by captain Morata, but even they will be forgiven if Spain win a fourth European Championship in Berlin this weekend.
Standing in their way are England. It won't be decided by rock, paper, scissors, but it could well come down to a moment of magic from Williams or Yamal. They aren't Spain's only threat, but they do characterise La Roja's new cutting edge. They also have birthdays to celebrate.