I MET a Spanish couple while on holiday in Thailand a couple of weeks ago, and naturally, I had to ask how they felt about their country finally winning the World Cup.
The lady, a native of Bilbao and a huge fan of Athletic Bilbao, teased her husband, saying he was crying when Iker Casillas lifted the trophy.
“It is only natural. It was very emotional,” he said, looking slightly embarrassed.
Of course it’s emotional, I said. Heck, I’d be crying too if Malaysia even qualified for the friggin’ finals.
Anyway, we started talking about how great Spanish football had become, discussing everything from Bilbao players like Fernando Llorente and the up-and-coming Javi Martinez to how much they hated Cristiano Ronaldo, which is A LOT.
Apparently, they had something against him paying off a woman to keep a love child or something like that, but being a Manchester United fan who used to adore Ronaldo, I decided that I couldn’t understand their accent.
But then the husband reminded me that it wasn’t just Spanish football that was doing well. It’s been a golden age for Spanish sports in general.
Let’s start with football. They are world champions, European champions, Athletico Madrid are Europa League champions and though their Primera División rivals Barcelona lost their Champions League crown, they are still the best club football side in the world.
Apart from not having the best player in the world (Lionel Messi), who incidentally plays and lives in Barcelona, Spain are the undisputed kings of world football at the moment.
In individual sports, Fernando Alonso is a two-time Formula One champion who threw himself back into the drivers’ championship last Sunday with a sensational victory in the Italian Grand Prix, reminding everyone of what a great driver he is.
As things stand now, Alonso is in third place behind Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton, but with the added psychological boost of having won Ferrari’s home race, something that could become a springboard for the Spaniard’s season, which has been held back by a slew of uncharacteristic errors so far.
In tennis, Rafael Nadal has already replaced the once-dominant Roger Federer at the top of the game, winning the US Open final on Tuesday to make it three Grand Slams on the trot this year (the first man to do so since Rod Laver in 1969), after bagging Wimbledon and his now customary French Open.
Nadal has also proven himself to be one of the greatest all-round tennis players ever, having won Grand Slams on all surfaces (he’s only the seventh man to do so); something which took Federer considerably longer as he had to wait till 2009 to win on the clay of Roland Garros.
For Federer fans like myself, Nadal is about as annoying as a sweaty, shaggy-haired, underwear-picking tennis genius can be. But still, at just 24, there’s no doubting that he could very well go on to eclipse Federer’s achievement of 16 Grand Slams, the most ever, should his body hold up to the punishment he puts it through with every game.
Spain is even starting to make an impression in basketball with the American NBA now, with 2002 NBA “rookie of the year” and three-time “all-star” player Paul Gasol getting his second championship ring last season with the LA Lakers.
He played a crucial role in the champions’ victory over the Boston Celtics, too, leading in rebounds in six of the seven-game series.
There are four other Spanish basketball players in the NBA at the moment – Pau’s brother Marc; José Calderón; Rudy Fernández; and Sergio Rodríguez.
Teenage star Ricky Rubio, touted as one of the best basketball prospects to have emerged from Europe, was also supposed to be playing in the NBA by now after becoming the fifth overall pick at the 2009 NBA draft. But the 19-year-old basketballer surprised many when he decided against the move for the time being, to allow his game to grow with FC Barcelona (the basketball club) first.
Not so well known to many would be Spanish racers Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, whose current positions in the MotoGP standings are first and second place, respectively. There are still six races to go, but Lorenzo already leads third-placed Andrea Dovizioso by nearly 140 points – which is about double the amount of points his Italian rival has amassed so far.
Even more impressive is the recent achievements of Spanish cyclists at the Tour de France. Alberto Contador won the yellow jersey for the second consecutive year in July, at the same time making it the fifth consecutive year the honour had gone to a Spaniard.
It also means that since Lance Armstrong decided to give everyone a chance and retire in 2005, only Spaniards have claimed the coveted yellow jersey, awarded to the competition’s general classification winner (best overall time throughout different stages). The the other winners were Óscar Pereiro and Carlos Sastre.
So why, I asked my new Spanish amigos, are Spanish athletes doing so well at the moment? Is it something in the paella? Is all that salsa dancing good for the core muscles? Does running from angry, charging bulls stand them in good stead for a career in professional sport?
Or maybe Malaysian sports would be at an all-time high if we instituted a mid-afternoon siesta?
“I don’t know!” said the guy with a laugh, finally done with his bout of teary eyes over the World Cup. “Maybe we just happened to have a lot of good athletes coming up at the same time.”
Just a coincidence? I don’t think so. I am pretty sure it’s all that salsa dancing. Does wonders for your core.