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Madrid. The year 2010 will forever be remembered as the time when Spain’s golden generation lifted the World Cup for the first time in history.

Spain’s 1-0 extra-time final win over the Netherlands in Johannesburg saw it become the eighth country to capture football’s ultimate prize.

After waiting 44 years to win a major trophy, Spain made it two in as many years, following up its Euro 2008 success with World Cup glory in South Africa after Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta scored the winner deep in extra-time to spark wild fiestas on July 11.

“I still can barely believe that I got the chance to score the winning goal,” Iniesta said. “Spain deserved to win this World Cup and it is something to treasure, to enjoy, to be proud of.”

Spain got off to a shaky start in the finals, losing its opening match in the group stage 1-0 to Switzerland. But Vicente del Bosque’s side quickly regrouped and made history by becoming the first European team to win the trophy on a different continent.

Scoring the winning goal capped a fine season for Iniesta, one of the players short-listed for the Ballon D’Or, as Barcelona retained the league title in May, prompting Real Madrid to turn to super-coach Jose Mourinho to try and end the Catalans’ dominance.

Barcelona beat archrival Real in both Clasicos (1-0 and 2-0) and Argentine Lionel Messi scored 34 league goals for the champion to top the league.

Barcelona notched a league record 99 points to take the title on the final day of the season and Real’s Galacticos ended up empty-handed despite setting a best-ever points tally of 96.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the world’s most expensive player at 94 million euros ($130 million), had a fine debut season, however, it was in vain with Real crashing out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage to Lyon in early March.

Barcelona reached the Champions League semifinals but lost 3-2 on aggregate to Mourinho’s Inter Milan side, which defended doggedly at Camp Nou to knock out the holders. Atletico Madrid was Spain’s surprise champion in Europe as it won the inaugural Europa League by beating Fulham in the final.

Mourinho was a hero for Real Madrid fans who feared Barcelona winning the Champions League final at their Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and, with Manuel Pellegrini’s days numbered, Real lured the Portuguese coach, who had raised his profile with a league, Cup and Champions League treble for Inter, to the Spanish capital to steal the headlines ahead of the World Cup.

Spain went into the tournament as one of the favorites and finally lived up to its billing with David Villa top-scoring with five goals en route to the final.

Spain beat Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and the Netherlands without conceding a goal to become world champion for the first time. The national team’s style of play mirrored that of Barcelona with the “tiqui taca,” or one and two-touch play, dominating possession.

Before the World Cup, Barcelona had struck a deal to bring Villa to the club, paying Valencia 40 million euros for his services, although it could not tempt Arsenal to part with Cesc Fabregas.

Mourinho brought in German internationals Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil on the back of a successful World Cup, however, the new-look Real flopped in his first game in charge with a 0-0 draw at Real Mallorca in late August.

Barcelona and its host of weary World Cup stars also started poorly and the double champion was stunned in its first home match of the campaign, going down 2-0 to newly promoted Hercules at Camp Nou.

But both giants quickly found their stride with Barcelona collecting 31 points from a possible 36 to trail Real by a point going into the first Clasico at Camp Nou on Nov. 29.

Mourinho had gone 12 games unbeaten in the league with 10 wins and two draws, making him the most successful managerial debutant ever in La Liga, but his first Clasico was to be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Barcelona gave Real a footballing lesson with Villa scoring twice in a 5-0 mauling at Camp Nou. Mourinho’s first loss in charge of Real also turned out to be the most lopsided defeat in his glittering career.

“Loss, yes — humiliation, no. I don’t think it reflected the difference between the two sides,” Mourinho said.

It was a fifth successive Clasico win for Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola whose side went two points clear at the summit.

In Europe, Barcelona and Real are both in the knockout phase of the Champions League after topping their respective groups.

 

Agence France-Presse