Going into the 2010 World Cup, the first edition of the historic tournament to be staged in Africa, no country had held the European Championship and World Cup trophies concurrently since Germany in 1974. After ending a 44-year international drought at Euro 2008, Spain were looking to change that.
La Roja had never won the World Cup before and until two years earlier were known as one of international football’s biggest chokers since being crowned European champions in 1964.
