Croatia the only side to out-pass Spain since the Euro 2008 final, 137 games on

A decade and a half of dominance

"When was the last time Spain did not have more possession than the opposition in a full match?" enquired Sol O'Carroll back in 2012. Sixty-one games ago, to be precise. Incredibly, La Roja last lost out to an opponent in the possession stakes in the Euro 2008 final, when Germany edged them 52% to 48%, although they still won 1-0.

2026 update: Remarkably, there is only one competitive match since the Euro 2008 final in which Spain have not had the lion's share of possession. That was the 3-0 victory over Croatia at Euro 2024. "For the first time in 137 games, Spain did not complete as many passes as their opponents, and they could not be happier," began Sid Lowe's intro at the Olympiastadion, Berlin. Spain, of course, would go on to be Euro 2024 champions, beating England 2-1 in the final (with 63% possession).