It took decades of pain, tears, blood, and heartbreaks to reach that one moment, the final whistle of the 2010 world cup and Spain Soccer Gear was the world champion. A lot has happened before that moment. Allow us to take you through the nine good and bad football world cup moments in the Spanish Football history.

The Beginning

The team could not make it to the 1930 FIFA World Cup, the first world cup. They played their first World Cup game on May 27th, 1934. They defeated the Brazilians by 3 goals to 1. Ricardo Zamora was the first-ever goalkeeper to stop a penalty in the world cup history.

Pretty Good

The 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil. The team ended in fourth place in the tournament. That was the fourth World Cup and remembered for Brazil’s shocking defeat against the Uruguayans. This was the time when Real Madrid was becoming Europe's best team. The Spanish side made it to the final stage but could not beat both Sweden and Brazil. Zarra was the most prolific scorer in the side at the time.

Unfruitful

The World Cup 1982, the only World Cup the nation has hosted thus far, did not go well for the team. England and Germany squeezed the hosts out in the second round.

The Broken Nose

The World Cup 1994, this tournament is remembered for the broken nose of Luis Enrique. The team was in the quarter-final. The Spanish midfielder was elbowed by the Italian defender Mauro Tassotti and no penalty was awarded to Spain. The Spanish side lost the game by 2-1.

A Horrendous Beginning

The beginning of the World Cup 1998 was really horrendous for the team. They were playing against Nigeria. Andoni Zubizarreta, the veteran keeper shot it into his own net. The side was never able to recover from this shocking defeat. However, they did live up to the reputation of being the biggest underachievers in the world.

They Were Robbed

It was the world cup of 2002 and the Spanish side was playing against the hosts South Korea in the quarter-finals. The legitimate goals scored by Fernando Morientes and Rubén Baraja were ruled out. We remember that tournament for dubious refereeing decisions. In addition to disallowing those two goals, debatable offside decisions also went in favor of South Koreans. Spanish players were so furious that the referee had to be escorted off the field.

Once Again

Once again, they lived up to the reputation of being the biggest underachievers. The World Cup 2006 was hosted by Germany. Led by Zinedine Zidane, France defeated Spain 3-1. However, this was the time when the likes of Ramos, Casillas, Xavi, Fabregas, Villa, and Torres were finding their spots in the team.

Not This Time

They defeated the mighty Germans in the Finals of Euro 2008 and hence became the favorite. After losing the first game against Swiss, the team created history. This time, they were not underachievers. They were the world champions.

That victory inspired many young soccer players in the country. The country has a new breed of players with dreams in their eyes. If you are a young soccer player, maybe you can be the next big thing. Slip into your Spain soccer training jersey, get your Spain soccer gear and work hard on the pitch.