It seemed as if European soccer’s aristocracy was altering when a swashbuckling young Spanish team bypassed the sluggish and insipid French on its way to Euro 2024 glory.
It appeared a tournament too far for Didier Deschamps, who’d guided Les Bleus to back-to-back World Cup finals, including a triumph in 2018. Spain, Europe’s dominant force between 2008 and 2012 following a history of underperformance, had reemerged.
