Until winning the European Championship in 2008, Spain was known as an underachiever, only cracking the World Cup quarterfinals once, way back in 1950.
Now, with a deep lineup featuring All World-goalie Iker Casillas and stellar forwards David Villa, Fernando Torres and Xavi, Spain is poised to be a top contender in South Africa.
“They’re stacked from back to front,” says Forrest. With a near-perfect record in World Cup qualifying matches, Spain’s place in Group H (along with Switzerland, Chile, and Honduras — none of which has ever beaten La Roja) virtually assures Spain a spot in the final 16. “Nothing’s going to worry Spain in that group.”
Look out for Fernando Torres on the playing field…
Magnificent, free-flowing — and that’s just his hair. At the relatively tender age of 26, Torres already boasts a resume filled with big-game goals including three tallies in the 2006 World Cup and the only goal in Spain’s 1-0 victory over Germany in the 2008 European Championship final.
A natural goal scorer who is adept with both feet, Torres recently became the fastest player in Liverpool FC’s illustrious history to score 50 goals in the English Premier League, making him “one of the best finishers in the game today,” says Forrest.
