It would be fair to say that Spain’s qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup was not their most spectacular. In fact, it was only after an emphatic 5-1 win over Slovakia in the first leg of the play-offs that their place in the finals looked secure.

Spain did not taste defeat once during the period between Aragones’s arrival as national team coach in summer 2004 and the close of 2005, posting six wins and six draws in official games. Yet while they remained unbeaten, they did struggle to finish off opponents.

Germany 2006 will be Spain’s eighth consecutive appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals. They last missed out in 1974 in Germany. However, international honours have so far proved elusive Spain, their one tournament triumph coming more than 40 years ago at the 1964 UEFA European Championship. Their best result at a FIFA World Cup was back at Brazil 1950, where they finished fourth. The arrival of Aragones brought with it changes in team selection. The veteran coach revitalised his squad by bringing in new blood and wasted no time instilling his own philosophy — “control the ball and you control the game” — in his new players. To realise his goals, the coach handed midfield duties to playmakers Xavi and Xabi Alonso and anchorman David Albelda, who little by little have been forging a better understanding.

The last third of the field is the domain of strikers Raul Gonzalez and El Niño Torres. The pair contributed ten of Spain’s 25 qualifying goals (play-offs included), both scoring at opportune moments to prove that their undeniable finishing skills can never be discounted.

The young Iker Casillas, already a veteran of many campaigns, remains the undisputed first-choice in goal, and the coach has good options in defence, among them the tireless Michel Salgado on the right, central defenders Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos.