Yes, but it took more than 50 years for it to happen.
Vicente del Bosque’s all-conquering Spain team arrived in Austria and Switzerland with one of the strongest squads ever at a major tournament. And they were able to live up to their billing as they progressed through Group D without dropping a point.
That was followed by a penalty shootout win against Italy, a 3-0 win against Russia and a 1-0 victory in the final against Germany.
Four years later, in Poland and Ukraine, Del Bosque’s European champions had since become world champions and won an unprecedented third major international tournament in a row.
A draw against Italy — who they would beat 4-0 in the final — started the group stage, but they were flawless from there.
Two group-stage wins came before a 2-0 win against France, a shootout win against Portugal and the dismantling of Italy in the final.
Fortunately for the rest of Europe and the world, that is where their dominance ended as they have not won the European Championship or World Cup since.
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