For far too many instances, and for far too many teams, the 2010 World Cup became about destroying rather than creating.
As much as this tournament didn’t turn into a goal-fest for Spain, their overall performance was still one worth admiring. The seamless relationship between the defense and the attack, with all four defenders capable of handling the ball and moving the ball around the field, made Spain that much tougher to try and stop and that much more fun to watch. While you can argue that the last four teams they played “stopped them” by limiting them to one goal a game, Spain was usually in such complete control of those matches that the close score lines never truly reflected how much control the Spaniards had over their opponents.
Although they didn’t give us many goals to savor, the Spanish gave us a style to admire and an approach to the game we can only hope more teams adopt, or rediscover. While it is unrealistic to expect teams to start playing like Spain overnight, you can’t help but believe that far more players and coaches around the world were inspired by Spain’s performance than by the Netherlands.
That’s what made Sunday’s victory special despite being a card-filled affair some considered ugly. It wasn’t just Spain's first World Cup title. It was also a victory for creative soccer over negative and cynical soccer.
That is a victory the sport needed after a tournament where far too many teams were content to defend and destroy, and not enough teams were willing, like Spain, to keep passing and moving and trying to play a game worthy of being called beautiful.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com.
