Spain's win at UEFA Euro 2008 was all the more remarkable when you realise that they had two children up front.
We take a trip down memory lane as part of our ‘Story of the UEFA European Championships’ series in association with Heineken - official beer partner of UEFA Euro 2020. As Spanish football journalist Graham Hunter explains:
"Torres was nicknamed El Niño - 'The Kid' - and David Villa is also less well-known as El Guaje, also 'The Kid.' So the two kids were up front, and from the first moment that Torres eschewed the chance to score and fed Villa - the partnership was a click."
Spain went into the tournament on the back of a rocky road.
"They had been on a run of 18 months not losing since a friendly against Romania, but several things coalesced into what everyone loves to call a 'perfect storm'.
"The key thing was that Luis Aragones took decisions and thought certain key players could not give him the type of passing and positioning that he wanted. One of those players was Raúl, the crown prince of Spanish football, beloved at Real Madrid.
"Aragones dropped him and started playing David Villa and Fernando Torres, David Villa took the 7 jersey. They went with the sound of their own fans' boos echoing in their ears."
Jonathan O'Brien, author of 'Euro Summits', explains the difference between Spain at UEFA Euro 2008 and the one four years later.
"They had more strings to their bow that year. They were faster, they were able to tear people apart on the counter-attack with a Fernando Torres who was at his absolute peak, partnered by David Villa who was one of the best finishers in the world.
"There was more zip about them in a way that they didn't in 2012, as in 2012 David Villa had broken his leg and Fernando Torres was a bit of a spent force."
The emergence of the style of football that would become known colloquially as 'tiki-taka' was met with bemusement and anger by Aragones, as Hunter explains.
"[He said] We are La furia roja! La furia roja wasn't quite Wimbledon but it was chasing down your opponents, put the ball long, get after them and harrass them!
"La furia roja is like 'the furious reds'. He took over and he looked at David Silva, Xavi and Iniesta and one of the most obstinate, obdurate, pig-headed men in Spanish football history said 'I was wrong.'
"He ripped up his ideas and started playing Guardiola football at the time that Guardiola was taking over at Camp Nou."
Spain finished top with three wins, before beating Italy in the quarter-finals and Russia once again in the semis.
Standing in their way were Germany.
"For anyone who hasn't seen the final of UEFA Euro 2008, it's an absolute carnival. Germany cannot get a sniff of the ball. It is 1-0 going on 6-0.
"[Torres' winning goal] is the epic moment because it is rare you see Germany beaten in a final, but beaten like that?
"It was extraordinary."
The story of the UEFA European Championships on OTB Sports with Heineken – official beer partner of UEFA Euro 2020. Finally together to be rivals again. Drink responsibly, visit drinkaware.ie
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